Free Fall
by Spoons1899
Summary: Rikku goes to work for the machine faction, and old tensions arise between her and Gippal. But another man's interest in Rikku, a strange new Al Bhed group, and machina named after water dwelling birds prove nothing good ever comes easy.
1. Chapter 1

I walk into the cafeteria, purposefully not looking at him though I am of course instantly aware of where he is, who he's sitting by, and what the quickest path is to get there. But I don't charge over there right away, much as I want to. Instead I say something to Shinra who only recently returned, then responded to Brother's snipe about my 'boyfriend' with an equally barbed, yet ultimately affectionate, comment about his lack of girlfriend. Then, deciding that five seconds was a long enough wait, I begin to make my way over to Gippal.

I know his eyes are on me so I add a bit of extra sway to my step. He's up and standing before I'm even halfway there, a gesture of such honest sentiment that I can't help but throw my arms around his neck the moment I reach him. His hands clamp almost compulsively on my hips and I stretch up on tiptoe so I make sure he hears my giggle, and knows that I am perfectly aware of how many people are watching us. Even after some weeks time, we're still a talking point.

Gippal pulls me down onto his lap, saying something about wanting to finish eating when I know he really just wants me close. Of course I can't help teasing him, wiggling around and rubbing against him until he's growling and eventually grabs me in a near-painful grip, whispering a warning in my ear about what kind of punishment I'll receive later if I don't stop. I only laugh in response, because the punishments he threatens me with always involve various things like tickling, slow kisses, and more. . .

And how did Gippal and I end up like this? Well it wasn't easy, I can tell you that much. It wasn't like I defeated Vegnagun then skipped on over to Djose and jumped into his bed or anything. No, it was a lot more complicated than that, and it really all started when I went to work for the Machine Faction. . .

As you may have noticed, I spent quite a large chunk of my time saving the world.

I was real young when I joined up Yuna's party to help destroy Sin and save summoners forever. I was only slightly older when I co-started the Gullwings and went on the help kick Vegnagun's over-machinated ass and liberate Shuyin. I'm slightly older now, too, but the world seems like it's finally gotten over it's damsel-in-distress gig.

So then what was there for me to do? Well, to tell the truth, not a whole hell of a lot.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bitter or anything. Spira knows I am not a naturally bitter person. I had just a _project_ to work on those past years, some sort of goal that kept me driving rather than drifting, and then suddenly in what felt like the blink of an eye, I didn't have one anymore.

It didn't help that all my friends had easily moved on and found things to do. They weren't feeling bored and restless like I was. Baralai and Nooj worked on resolving their conflicts with Paine's help, Gippal had his Faction, Kimahri his mountain, Wakka and Lulu their marriage and baby, and Yuna and Tidus ran around being a terrifically happy couple, Yuna as the 'Lady-Summoner-that-everyone-in-Spira-simply-adores' and Tidus with his 'star-blitz-player-adjusting-to-a-new-world' deal. And the Al Bhed starting rebuilding Home.

That it where I threw all my energies. Home. I utterly and completely immersed myself in it's reconstruction. Me, Rikku, Princess of the Al Bhed, 'Cid's Girl' as Gippal used to call me, leading project after project of the rebuilding of Home. For the first time in my life, I was respected, not just for who my father was, but for who I was, what I'd done, and, most importantly, what I was doing.

I had a whole group of people working under me. Can you believe it? Under _me_. Under flighty, happy-go-lucky Rikku. And they listened to me. Cause I made 'em.

It felt good, too. I guess I was still trying to save the world, in my own way. At least I was making it a much nicer place for many Al Bhed. I got over the wandering urge, found a productive use for my time. I was having fun, making a difference. Then I got my new assignment.

I was to go to Djose. To work with the Machine Faction.

The first time Pops mentioned it to me, I nearly put his eye out. But once he explained it fully, well, I was able to go from furious to simply disgruntled.

It was a sort of trade. Not to brag or anything, but I'm an ace with machina. I can build it, take it apart, reconstruct it, and most importantly, understand it. I love it. And there were some certain types we needed for building of Home. The Machine Faction are always completely willing to let us have whatever we need (they are, after all, Al Bhed, and want it rebuilt same as any of us) as long as we are willing to help build them.

So I, and a few others of my trusty, machina savvy squad including Brother and Buddy and Shinra, were sent off to Djose to help build the machina we needed, while a few of the Machine Faction's best builders were sent to Home.

I know it may seem a bit dodgy, but trust me, this how we operate. I agreed to the plan, and so off I went to Djose.

I've had mixed feelings about that. I'm always happy to do anything to help with Home, and, as I already mentioned, I love working with machina. So what was the problem then? I'll give you a hint. He's tall, blond, Al Bhed, has only one eye and looks _fabulous_ in his form fitting shirt. . . .

Yeah, okay, so that was more than one hint, and you guessed it anyway. Gippal.

If I was confused about my life and projects and all, it was _nothing_ compared to how I felt about Gippal.

We were a couple, once. He had very kindly informed Yuna and Paine of the fact a year ago, when the Gullwings went to Djose for 'an interview'. And he had been right. Sort of.

I was fourteen. He was sixteen. We'd grown up together, been friends (albeit friends with a very antagonistic relationship) forever. It was a warm night, we were out in the desert, we saw a shooting star, and he kissed me.

I was delighted. I thought it was love.

Well, of course, I realized soon enough it wasn't. Gippal and I decided to go our separate ways; he joined the Crimson Squad, I went on salvage expeditions, met Tidus, then helped save the world. I had put my feelings and our past behind me. Or at least, I'd thought I had.

When I saw him again, at Djose with the Gullwings, some of the old feelings resurfaced. He was taller, he was broader, he was. . . he was gorgeous. And he was as stubbornly arrogant and conceited as ever.

I suppressed the feelings then, and acted as I always did around Gippal. Whiny, petulant, and snotty. We left Djose, continued with our journey, and soon it wasn't hard to put Gippal to the back of my mind. Obviously, Vegnagun took center stage.

But then with this new assignment. . . there was no Vegnagun. There was no Sin, no Crimson Squad. There was just me, and Gippal, soon to be together again. Working side by side, like we used to as kids.

Standing in front of Djose Temple, I felt some of those old feelings surface again. Would Gippal still tease me like a five year old? Would he even acknowledge me? Would things be different between us? Did I want them to be?

I didn't know. Like I said, my confusion towards Gippal and my feelings regarding him was absolute. However, I was never one to shy away from anything that confused me. If anything, I only grew more curious.

I didn't know what my time at Djose was going to hold for me, but I was eager to find out.

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A/N: If you read this story before, you may have noticed this has been changed. It makes the ending make more sense. If you haven't read this before, thank you for attempting it now. I hope you like it, and I hope you'll review!  
(If the first chapter didn't quite tickle your fancy, please keep reading. I swear it gets better.)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I'll go tell them we're here," Buddy said, looking around the temple. "The rest of you just hang out." He looked over at me. "That okay?"

"Fine," I replied happily, practically bouncing on the balls of my feet as I looked at all the work going on around me. I _knew_ I was going to enjoy it here. "Go ahead." I was pleased that Buddy had checked with me, since I was the squadron leader. However, I didn't mind him giving orders at times. Having spent so much time with him when we were the Gullwings, I knew he knew what he was doing.

While Buddy went off to find whoever it was that checked us in, I looked around. The place was crawling with Al Bhed. I waved and smiled as those I recognized, and those I didn't. Most waved and smiled back, before turning back to their machina. I walked over to one such thing, a great big one that was propped up against the wall and emitting the occasional burst of sparks.

"Ooh," I couldn't help but say, my voice eager. "What does this do?"

"We're not sure," one of the technicians working on it replied. He glanced up at me, then returned to the wires he was examining. "We found it off the Mi'ihen Highroad a few weeks ago."

"And now you're trying to fix it?" Already I had crouched down next to the technician, my long fingers itching to reach forward and start fiddling with things. "Sounds like fun!"

Another shower of sparks sprayed from an opening in the machina's side. The technician smiled. "You could say that."

I laughed, then heard someone behind me go "Well, well, well, if it isn't Cid's little girl."

I sighed, preparing myself to turn around, having absolutely no doubts on who stood behind me.

"Gippal," I said, putting on my best and brightest smile, not bothering to tell him I have a name. "Hi!"

His eyes swept up and down me, taking in my faded and worn jeans, equally worn brown boots, pink tank top and hastily clipped up hair. I was similarly checking him out, noticing how good he looked his blue t-shirt and jeans even more beat up than mine, riddled with holes and stained with oil and paint, but I was being a bit less obvious about it. Gippal smiled.

"Hi," he replied. "Can't tell you how surprised I was when I found out the First Machina Squadron leader was you. But then, I guess kids like to play with toys."

Yep, same old Gippal. Some things never change.

"I was surprised when I found out the leader of the Machine Faction was you," I countered blithely. "I would have thought your ego would get in the way when you tried to build anything."

Gippal chuckled at that and opened his mouth to say something else when the machina behind me let out another stream of sparks.

"Hey!" Gippal shouted at the technician in Al Bhed, hauling me aside. "Watch what you're doing!"

"Sorry sir," the technician replied automatically, shooting me a furitive glance.

"It's okay," I assured Gippal, wrenching my arm from his grasp. "It's not his fault, the machina's been doing that for a while." My eyes lit up as an idea struck me. "Is this what I'm going to be working on?"

Gippal chuckled again. "No, the stuff you guys want is being built in one of the temple's back rooms."

"Underground?" My face fell. I _hated_ being underground.

"Sort of," Gippal replied. "I'll get someone to show you around."

"Why not do it yourself?" I asked. "Or is showing people around below you?"

"I actually have work to do," Gippal said, ignoring my second question. "Can't stand around chatting with children all day."

Behind him, Brother let out a stream of rather unflattering words in Al Bhed. I giggled.

"Let's see. . ." Gippal scanned the room, pretending not to have heard Brother. He spotted an Al Bhed emerging from one of the temples inner rooms and beckoned him over. "This is Ryhcis," he explained.

The first thought that popped into my head was _wow_.

Ryhcis was a tall and slim Al Bhed with nut brown skin-- tanned from the sun most likely-- and shoulder length blond hair. It was lighter than mine, less golden, probably lightened from the sun that he seemed to have spent so much time under. It looked soft though, as if it would feel good to run my fingers through.

As he got closer I saw his eyes, swirly irises like all Al Bhed, but with a strange intensity that seemed to freeze me on the spot. Coming up to us, he smiled, and I resisted to urge to pass out cold at his feet.

"Ryhcis, this is the First Machina Squadron, from Bikanel," Gippal introduced us.

"Ah yes, I remember you said they'd be arriving today." Ryhcis made a low bow. "It is Lady Rikku, is it not?" He reached forward, took my hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Yeah," I said faintly. "It's nice to meet--" I broke off, eyes widening. "Wait! I know you!"

His smiled widened. "I did not think you would remember. It was years ago."

"What was?" Gippal demanded, his voice oddly sharp. He was glancing between me and Ryhcis with an odd look on his face, but I hardly noticed.

"Of course I would! I do! You guarded the Summoners Sanctum, and you were there the day. . ." Again I broke off. The memory of the day that Home was destroyed still caused me pain.

"I remember you too!" Brother suddenly spoke up in Al Bhed. "The one at the back! You were responsible for helping so many people out and on the airship, but I don't recall you being on it yourself. . ."

"No, I stayed behind in Bikanel," Ryhcis said, also speaking Al Bhed. I resisted the urge to faint once again. His voice was so smooth and soft, caressing the words in an almost musical way. "With what refugees escaped yet did not make it to the airship. We hid underground during the blast."

"You saved me," I breathed, remembering when I'd led everyone to the airship, then waited behind while they got on and a section of the wall collapsed. I would have been crushed if not for the Al Bhed with piercing eyes that tackled me out of the way.

Gippal cleared his throat. I had to feeling that he was trying to end the conversation. "Well, Ryhcis, I was going to ask you to lead this group to their rooms, but if you're busy then I'll just--"

"I'm on break," Ryhcis said, still smiling at me. "And I'd be happy to."

"Yes, well." Gippal seemed slightly put out. Ryhcis turned and began leading us deeper into the temple. I looked over my shoulder and waved at Gippal, flashing him a cheery smile.

"See you later, Gippal!"

He waved back. "See you later, Cid's Girl!"

I stuck my tongue out at him, then followed Ryhcis and the rest of my squadron down into the depths of the temple.

"This is where you'll be working," Ryhcis said, showing us to a wide, circular room that was currently full of jumbled bits of machina. "The door in the back leads to the basement storage rooms, where we keep all the extra parts and machines we're not currently working on."

"Are the things we need down there?" Buddy asked, thinking practically as ever. I was thinking about how hard it must have been for people to carve such a high, round room from stone. I may be squad leader, but I'd be pretty helpless on my own.

"Yeah," Ryhcis answered. "We'll get a team to help you pull them up in the morning. Let me show you to your rooms for now, however."

He led us away from the circular work room to a hall full of dorms. "You guys are at the end," he said. "It's mostly two to a room, but a few of you are on your own."

"Like me?" Brother asked hopefully in Al Bhed.

"No," Buddy said with a smile. He had moved down the hall and was reading the names posted on the doors. "You're in here with me." He opened the door and went in.

I followed him, looking in curiously from the doorway as Brother pushed past me, muttering under his breath. It looked like a nice enough room, small, but practical. It had two beds on one wall, two dressers on the other, and a door that most likely led to a bathroom.

"Lady Rikku?"

I jumped at the sound of the voice and turned to find Ryhcis smiling at me.

"Your room is down the hall," he said, laughter in his voice. "I don't think there is room for you to stay in here."

"No, of course not," I said, blushing. "I was just looking. . ."

"Right, well, dinner starts at six thirty, in the mess hall," Ryhcis addressed the whole group. "If you get lost, just ask somebody. They'll be happy to help you." He turned back to me, taking my hand once more and raising it to his lips. "Until then."

I smiled at him and stood there for quite a bit longer than necessary, watching him walk away down the hall. Then I turned and found the door to my own room. It was much the same as Brother and Buddy's, only smaller and with just one bed which I dumped my stuff unceremoniously on to.

Dinner at six thirty. . . that gave me about an hour. I thought about going to look for Gippal, than decided against it. I didn't want to seem desperate.

Instead, I decided to take a nap. I lay down on my bed, pulling the clip from my hair and tossing it carelessly to the floor. My thoughts began to wander, focussing on Gippal, remembering the smile he gave me that lit up his face, wondering if he'd ever call me by my name, hoping he'd be at dinner that night. . .

When I awoke a bit later, I found the light streaming through my one small window was much lower, and lit the room with a bright orange glow. I checked the clock to see what time it was. Six forty four.

I scrambled off the bed, my stomach growling. I spared a moment to run a brush through my long gold hair, then searched around for the clip I had thrown aside eariler.

Once I twsited my hair back into it's messy style, I hurried down through the temple until I came to the makeshift mess hall, a large, circular room (what was with these temples and their _circles_?) that had once been used for services. I grabbed a tray, loaded it up at the counter, then scanned the tables until I found some members from my squadron.

"Hey," I said, sliding in next to Buddy.

"Hey," he replied through a mouthful of thick Al Bhed stew. "What were you doing?"

"Napping," I replied, raising my own spoon. "You?"

"Checking out the temple. They got some nice stuff."

"Oh yeah?" Surreptitiously I glanced around the room for Gippal. I spotted him a few tables away, his arm around the back of some girl's chair. Hastily, I looked away. "Like what?"

"Some pretty impressive machina," Buddy continued, totally unaware that I was only half listening. "Shinra was looking at this one piece--"

"_Ysywehk_," Shinra cut in. "Almost as good as some of mine. It was a device that--" he launched into an incredibly detailed and complicated description that I don't think any of use followed.

"Is that Gippal's girlfriend?" I asked no one in particular, hoping I sounded casual.

Buddy looked surprised, and glanced over to where Gippal was sitting. "I don't think so," he said.

"It's not," Brother put in, adding a word in Al Bhed that would have earned him a hard smack had our father been there to hear it. "He always has a girl on his arm. You remember what he was like, Rikku, when we were growing up."

"Yeah," I said, and couldn't repress a giggle. Brother had never liked Gippal, and their verbal fights always outdid anything I could have hoped to pull off with either of them. Still, I couldn't help my gaze from straying over there, wondering. . .

After dinner everyone dispersed, some going to their rooms, some going to their machina, some hanging around in the mess hall and talking. I went back to the room where Ryhcis said we'd be working and found some other Al Bhed in there. They introduced themselves as members of the Machine Faction who would be helping us, particularly with bringing up parts from the basement, and then we spent awhile getting to know each other and talking about machina and the reconstruction of Home.

They started drifting away one by one as the night wore on, until I eventually sent the last two off, assuring them I'd put out the candles and that I could find my room on my own.

I was walking around the room, snuffing the torches on the wall, humming softly to myself, when a voice in the door way made me jump.

"Hey," I whirled around to see Gippal lounging casually against the door frame, an expression on his face that clearly said ëlook at how cool I am, you know you can't deny it'.

"Hey," I replied.

The silence stretched. Gippal seemed content to simply stand there and look at me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Did you want something?" I asked, sounding annoying even to my own ears.

"I just wanted to make sure you were settling in all right."

"Consideration?" I feigned surprise. "From Gippal?"

"No," he moved into the room at last, putting his face close to mine. "I just didn't want to be bothered by your whining, and thought I'd take the initiative to prevent it."

I put both my hands on his shoulders and shoved him away from me.

"You're so annoying," I said, but I was smiling.

"And you're just as bad," Gippal countered easily. "What are you hanging around here for? Are you waiting for someone?" There was an odd tone to his voice on the last question.

"No, I was just leaving." I moved forward to snuff out the last two lamps, plunging us into semidarkness, the only light being the pale blue one that filtered in from the hallway. "Night, Gippal."

He caught my arm as I moved past him and looked down into my eyes. For a minute, he didn't say anything, then he smiled roguishly. "Night, Cid's Girl. My room's just down the hall from yours if get lonely in the night."

I kicked him in the shin for that, but I didn't kick very hard. I was waiting for some remark like that, and would have been surprised if it didn't come.

Giggling, I darted out of his reach as he made a move to retaliate, and skipped happily down to my room.

Within half an hour I had showered, thrown on my pajamas and dived into bed. I thought back on my conversation with Gippal with both a smile and a sigh. Things hasd't changed between us-- we still had our friendly banter, shot insults and comments back and forth, treated each other kind of like annoying siblings. I couldn't decide if this was a good or bad thing.

Oh well. I rolled over onto my stomach. Tomorrow we'd start hauling the machina pieces from the basement. Tomorrow would be all about business.

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Review, please. I'd like to think this story is like the Beatles song, and is getting a little better all the time, right? Next chapter is cool, I promise. But only if you review. It's in a secret code that's viewable to reviewers only. :) 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I don't know what I had been expecting.

I guess I still had that image of her in my mind as a little girl, the one I left back at Bikanel when we split up. Despite seeing her with the 'Gullwings', all decked out in her oh-so-suggestive clothing (little more than a bikini. Did the girl have no shame?) I guess I still expected her to be that small little teenager with the mass of golden hair.

Well, she was still fairly small. She still had a mass of golden hair. But no longer did she look like a teenager.

The person across the room from me, crouching down and talking happily with one of my technicions was most definatly a woman. A young one, certainly-- she being what, nineteen?-- but a woman nonetheless.

She greeted my cheerfully, like she did everything else, and I pulled off some remark about her being a kid and managed to insert a 'Cid's Girl' in there, teasing her just like always. I couldn't help checking her out however.

And she was hotter than hell.

Of course, I'd seen beautiful woman before. I'd known plenty of beautiful woman before, and I mean _known_. It still threw me, however, because we weren't talking any old beautiful woman. We were talking Rikku, the little girl who tagged along with me when we were kids, who I put up with and even dated for awhile until I decided I was too old and mature and left seeking jucier pieces of meet, if you get my meaning.

Well, Rikku was looking pretty juicy herself, at the moment.

Mentally telling myself the shut the hell up, I looked around for someone to give them the tour. I wanted to get away from Rikku for a moment so I could instill some control in this brain of mine. I mean, it was _Rikku_. I spotted Ryhcis and called him over, but then regretted it when I saw Rikku's eyes flash with interest.

Okay, it's just big brother instincts, I told myself. You're not jealous. You can't be jealous. It's _Rikku_.

Determined to put her out of my mind, I was extra flirty with that Anne chick at dinner. I thought I saw Rikku glance over at me, but I might have been mistaken. I hung around in the mess hall for a bit after dinner, not having much else to do. Anne offered to take me back to her room, but to my surprise I found myself refusing.

I wandered around, checking machina without much interest, until I found myself in the doorway of the room where I knew Rikku's sqaudron would be working. She was in there, all alone, snuffing out the lights.

I had to say something, I knew, instead of just standing there staring like an idiot. I could tell it was freaking her out to the point that she demanded what I wanted. She sounded so like the Rikku I knew that I was able to snap out of my revene and ask her if she was settling in okay.

Instantly, I regretted it. _That's not the kind of thing I'd normally say to her!_ Rikku replied with some glib, joking comment while I gave myself another mental ass-kicking. I was able to turn it into a teasing insult, and get close to her in the process, so I guess it was okay.

Except I don't care about being close to her, I had to remind myself, saying for what felt like the umpteenth time: It's _Rikku_.

She said goodnight and started to go, but I grabbed her arm, struck by a sudden wish that she wouldn't leave. I froze for a moment, wondering what the hell I thought I was doing, before wishing her goodnight as well, throwing in another Cid's Girl for good measure and making some lewd comment about her needing company in the night.

She kicked me, then danced away, and I was able to breathe again. That was the trick. Keep things normal between us, just like they used to be. That's the way I wanted it. At least, that's was I kept repeating, over and over in my mind.

I began to doubt myself the next day, however, when I wound up standing in that same doorway once again, watching the bright golden head that bobbed happily about the room.

I would _never_ have admitted it aloud. I didn't even like admitting it to myself, but it was the truth:

I was impressed.

Machina piece after machina piece emerged from the back door of the room, supported by members of my faction and Rikku's squadron, with the energetic blond directing where to put them. She'd already set up a team with that weird kid as captain to start analyzing the pieces that came up, taking notes and making spheres as they deemed necessary.

Another group, lead by one of my archenemies, Brother, was clearing out the old mess left from the last people to use this room, while the third, led by the muscular Buddy, kept bring pieces up from the basement. Rikku darted about between all three, supervising, checking, and offering positive comments along with her bright smile.

It was clear everyone there adored her. I could tell right away when she arrived that her squadron thought the world of her, some of them practically worshipping the ground she walked on. That was partially what made their team so effective, I'm sure.

And I could already tell my men were being taken in by her bright and cheery ways. I had assigned her only men, because of the heavy lifting involved, and I both was glad of it and regretted it, seeing the way they took her orders without question, glancing at her with wide, fawn like eyes.

It was going to be a struggle to get their loyalty back once she left, I could tell.

"Gippal!" Oh, shit. Brother spotted me. "What are you doing here?"

"It's lunchtime," I said casually, priding myself on my quick thinking. "I was worried you were all being help prisoner in here or something, I haven't seen anyone all morning."

Rikku giggled at that, pushing unruly strands of hair from her face. She was wearing oversized, dirty overalls that might have once belonged to Brother over a tight yellow t-shirt, and she had a smudge of dirt across her nose. I tried not to think how cute she looked.

"I guess we have been working kind of hard," she said, a wide smile on her face. It was clear she was completly enjoying herself.

"All right, everyone, listen up!" She had turned to face the room, waving her arms wildly for silence. Immediatly, all noise stopped. "It's lunchtime, as Mr. Big Important Leader Gippal has kindly thought to remind us, so we're going to take a break now. Everyone get some food and have something to drink, and I'll expect to see all of you back here in half an hour!"

Wow. The Rikku I knew couldn't have pulled off a speech like that. She sure had changed.

Rikku turned around, smiling happily again, and bounded forward. Her foot hit a loose machina part that was lying on the floor and flew out from underneath her. With a little cry, she toppled backwards and landed squarly on her butt.

Okay, so she hadn't changed that much.

Buddy solicitously helped her up, she giggled, then they set off for lunch. I followed, but didn't sit next to her. Anne was trying to catch my eye, but I chose to slide in next to Fruna instead. Anne was getting _way_ too clingy.

After lunch Rikku and her team dissapeared into their room once more, and I didn't see her again until dinner, actually having things I had to do myself (I know, shocking, isn't it?).

She sat with her squadron and her new found groupies from the Machine Faction. I tried not to watch them, especially when I saw Ryhcis had joined the group. Fruna, seated next to me, provided an easy distraction. A nice thing about Machine Faction women: they're good with their hands.

I was able to completly forgot about Rikku for quite some time, having invited Fruna back to my room. It wasn't until I stepped outside around midnight (Fruna having retired to her own quarters) that my thoughts slammed with painful intensity back on the slim Al Bhed girl I was fighting to keep them away from.

She was standing outside the temple, on the bridge, leaning against the railing with her head titled back, her eyes focussed on the starry sky. Her hair was loose and unbound, cascading in a golden waterfall down her back, lit by the silvery luminence of the moon. She was wearing what I assumed were her pajamas; pale green pants and a loose, faded white t-shirt with an odd symbol on it that I think had something to do with Zanarkand. At least, I had seen Yuna with the same thing splashed across her chest, only in a much more literal sense.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" I asked her, smiling a little at the way she jumped, having been totally unaware of my presence.

"Nothing," she replied, tugging on a lock of golden hair. I moved over to stand next to her. "What about you?" she asked as I put my hands on the railing. "Why are you out so late?"

"I needed some air." I shrugged, realizing this is one of the most normal conversations I've had with her in along time. "You seem to be getting along well."

"You mean with the machina?"

"Yeah."

She grinned. "Surprised?"

"Of course. Cid must have taught you a few things."

"A few." For some reason that last comment seemed to upset her, and she turned back to look a the moon, an unreadable look in her eyes. "Of course," she added after a few moments. "Saving the world might have had something to do with it."

"Nah." I reached forward to ruffle her hair like I used to when we were kids, but stopped, afraid I'd end up stroking instead. I settled for giving her a light push on her temple. She pushed me back and I laughed softly.

"Gippal?" She asked after a few more moments of silence.

"Hmm?"

"Have you even been in love?"

The question, spoken in soft Al Bhed, caught me off gaurd, and I couldn't tell if she was serious or not. I decided not to be, just in case. "Why?" I asked. "Interested?"

She snorted, elbowing me in the stomach. "Just wondering."

"I take it then, judging by that question, that you never have been?" 

"Not really." Her tone held a slight bit of wistfulness underneath the normal Rikku-cheerfullness.

" 'Not really'? How does that work out?" I was confused, and, though I didn't really want to admit it, curious.

"Never mind." She turned around, fixing me with that bright smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait, Rikku. . ." Again, I didn't want her to go. She stopped very close to me, looking up at my face, green eyes wide and reflecting the moon. She looked so damn alluring right then that I just grabbed her arm, leaned down, and kissed her.

Well. I'd kissed her before, back when we were dating, but her lips had never been that soft, her body that warm. And she had _never_ kissed as good as she did then. Obviously, she'd had some practice.

I broke the kiss reluctantly when my brain began to remind me rather insistantly that in order to function properly my body needed oxygen. I didn't release my hold on Rikku, however, and she looked up at me, another unreadable expression on her face.

"What was that for?" She asked breathlessly.

I didn't know what to answer. I didn't _know_ what that had been for. She had just looked so gorgeous standing there, and with the moonlight and all. . . Dammit! I didn't know what to do! What should I say? I mean, I didn't want to hook up with her, did I?

No. I knew the answer to that one right away. I mean, Rikku's beautiful and all, and I had loved kissing her, but she's too special for a one night stand. I wouldn't do that to any childhood friend, and especially not Rikku.

So what then? Why had I kissed her? What did I want?

I wanted her to kiss me back, to run her fingers through my hair and press against me-- Realizing she was waiting for an answer, I thought frantically of a response.

I laughed.

"Just because," I added, and shrugged.

I knew immediatly that this had been the wrong thing to do and say. Rikku pushed herself from my arms, her face now blank and closed in a way that cut deep into my heart.

"Rikku," I began, but one looked from those now cold green eyes froze the words of apology on my lips.

"Goodnight, Gippal," she said, and practically ran back into the temple.

_Shit_. I thought myself. _Shit shit shit._ I shouldn't have kissed her. I should have said something else after I did. I should have just kissed her again instead of answering her question.

What was I going to do tomorrow? How was I supposed to act around her? Should I try and apologize again? And for what, the kiss, or my reaction? Or both?

Maybe I should just pretend like nothing had happened. After all, Rikku seemed pretty angry with me. Maybe that would be best. After all, it had just been the moonlight and her hair and her oddly intoxicating smell of metal and flowers.

I would simply put it from my mind, and hope she would put it from hers.

Sighing, I made my way back into the temple, knowing it would be a lot harder to forget the feel of her body against mine and the sight her lips, parted ever so slightly after our kiss than I was letting myself believe.

I would have sought out Fruna if I could've stood the thought of kissing another woman right then, because I knew I wish in for a long, sleepless night.

---

-

A/N: I love writing from Gippal's point of view. Right now any way.

Hey, for fun see what happens if Fruna's name ends up in a Al Bhed translator. And then review please.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you, amzing reviewers and readers, thank you for being amazing. I hope you excuse any and all grammar/spelling/typing mistakes. You can only get so good at reading your own work, you know? Anyway, onto

Chapter 4

"Rikku? Are you even listening to me? Rikku!"

My head jerked out of my hands at the sound of my name being shouted in what sounded like a pretty pissed off tone. I looked around to see who'd said it and found Brother glaring at me irately across the table.

"What?" I asked. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

He made a sound half way between a sigh and a snort, threw up his hands, then continued with his story in rapid Al Bhed. My head dropped into my hands again, and I turned my attention inward once more, to my thoughts.

Gippal had kissed me. He had _kissed_ me. He had kissed _me_.

To say I was surprised would be about the biggest understatement of the year. To say I didn't like it, well. . . . that would just be wrong.

I mean, come on, Gippal's a good kisser! He always has been, and if anything, his technique has only improved over the years. And I can't deny I hadn't been checking him out, or kind of hoping he'd show some sort of interest in me. . . So yes, caught up in the heat of the moment, I kissed him back.

As soon as we drew apart however, I demanded to know why he had done it. And you know what his answer was?

Well, for starters, he laughed. And then he shrugged, and said "Just because."

Just because. Just because! As if I had asked him why he bought green candles instead of blue ones, or why he chose beans over broccoli. Just because, as if he'd kissed me on a whim, just because I was there, just because he was bored, most likely having already finished with his conquest of the night.

Just because. Well, he can take his 'just because' and shove it up his--

"Rikku?" This time the voice was deeper, calmer. I looked up to find Buddy looking down at me, gentle concern on his face. "Are you done?"

"Wha- oh, yeah." I pushed away my uneaten breakfast and stood up, putting on my best chipper smile. "Come on, everyone, let's get to work!"

My squadron and the Machine Faction members trouped out of the mess hall, heading towards our building room. I followed behind, and that was when I saw him.

Striding past us, with that Fruna bimbo practically hanging off him, was Gippal.

He flashed me a playful smile. "Hey, Cid's Girl."

I stood staring at him for a moment. How could he treat me so casually, after what he had done? He was acting like it hadn't even happened!

Well two can play at _that_ game.

"Hey, Gippal!" My smile was even brighter than in the mess hall. I felt like my cheeks were going to crack. I gave him a cheerful wave, then continued on with the rest of my group, resisting the urge to knee him in a very sensitive place as I walked past.

I entered our circular room to find most of my team already hard at work. The sight put a real smile on my face. I was so pleased with the way everyone was working. We'd have this machina built in no time.

"Rikku," Shinra tugged on my bright "Chocobo Cutie" t-shirt, startling me out of my thoughts. "Look at this."

"What is it?" I asked, taking the small piece of machina he held up to me. It was a mass of wires and screws and switches and metal. My kind of thing.

"It's an old central mechanism to a _Muytehk Lnyha_."

My face lit up. "Like we're trying to build? This is the thing that will make it go?"

"Yes, only that one is broken." Shinra took the machina back, caressing it lovingly. "We'll be building on own."

"You should get right on it then," I said with a smile, realizing that was what Shinra had been waiting for.

"Okay," he agreed casually, but I could hear the delight in his voice. "Look was it says on it." He held the machina up to me again and I could make out a faded word on the side.

_Tilg_. It meant 'duck' in Al Bhed.

"_Tilg_?" I said out loud. "Why does it say that?"

"Maybe it was the name of the old machina," Shinra suggested.

"Well in that case, we'd better name ours the same." Just like with boats, it was considered bad luck to rename machina that had already been christened. "The _Tilg_."

Shinra laughed a bit and ran off, happily dissecting the machina piece and muttering to himself about the things needed to build a new one.

We worked through the morning, every bit as hard as we'd worked the day before. It was lovely, both because we were getting things done and because I was able to forget about Gippal and his stupid male ego.

Ryhcis joined us for lunch, and I told him and the others about finding the name _Tilg_ on the old control mechanism. He thought it was pretty amusing and agreed that we should keep it as the name for our _Muytehk Lnyha_. I asked him if he'd like to come see our progress, and he'd said he be delighted, and he'd try and come during his break.

That led to Buddy asking him what he did in the Faction-- turns out he's a member of the Hover Building and Repair Squad-- which was followed by a lengthy debate of Hovers versus Chocobos.

By the time dinner had rolled around, I had put the Gippal incident in the back of my mind and told it firmly to stay there. Ryhcis _had_ managed to come by our cavern during his break, and ended up staying until the leader of his squad sent someone to look for him.

We may have been working our asses off, but the atmosphere in the room was still decidedly lighthearted and fun. There was a lot of talking and joking and laughter, and people started referring to us as the _Tilgmehk_s, or the Ducklings. It was sort of like one big machina building party, which was the way I liked it.

Ryhcis, while he was there, only added to the merry environment we had conjured up. He was soft-spoken and fairly quiet, but he had a quirky sense of humor and a bright intelligence to match. We got on wonderfully together, my blazing cheerfulness balanced by his steady calm, and after he'd spent his break with us I felt almost as though he were one of the group.

At dinner, I was in such a good mood that I only cast Gippal one withering look behind his back, and didn't have any pictures of Fruna suffering an abrupt and violent death in my head at all. We _Tilgmehk_s talked and laughed and joked, then retired to bed not long after, exhausted by the days work.

Ryhcis very nicely walked me to my room, then said goodnight and retired to his own. I lay on my bed, eyelids closing as sleep came quickly, thinking that I was probably better off without Gippal, and that, had it not been for him, I would have been really enjoying Djose.  
----

The rest of the week passed in a happy blur of frantic machina building as we struggled to complete a part before the weekend, which were days off for the Machine Faction, and half of the _Tilgmehk_s would be leaving to visit their families. I wanted the part done so I could get it sent to Home over the weekend and they could put it to use on Monday.

I only saw Gippal at meal times, where I made of point of not looking at him if I could help it. Fruna was often at his side until Friday, when she was replaced by some other fake-ass looking chick. Not that it mattered to _me_. He could be with as many girls as he wanted. _I_ didn't care.

Well, not much anyway.

I regarded our kiss as a mistake. A temporary lapse of judgment on both our sides. We put it behind us, acted like it didn't happen, and pretended that we'd forgotten all about it. At least, that's what I did. I made a point not be around Gippal long enough to find out how he felt about it.

Until Friday, when I didn't have a choice.

"_Vnyoat fena_!"

The shout came from my left, and immediately I ducked. A shower of sparks shot very close to where my head had just been and I heard Brother cursing loudly in Al Bhed.

"Shut it off!" I shrieked, also in Al Bhed. "Shut the power off!"

I heard Brother give another long litany of swear words, but the sparks didn't stop. By the sounds he was making, he couldn't get close enough to the power switch.

"The plug!" I shouted, keeping my head covered by my arms. "Go for the plug, on the wall!"

I heard other members of the squadron scrambling to do as I had instructed. There was a loud snapping sound and the sparks faltered, then died.

After a few moments, I straightened up, pushing sweaty strands of hair from my face.

"_Cunno_," Brother muttered.

I sighed, biting back the angry reprimand I had just been about to throw at him. After all, it wasn't his fault. We'd been having wire troubles all day. A lot of the machina pieces we were using were old pieces we were taking apart to rebuild, meaning their wiring in particular was in varying states of disrepair.

It was late in the afternoon and I was rushing to get one last piece finished before I called it a day. I knew many of the other groups in the temple had already wrapped up for the day, but if I didn't finish it today, we'd have to wait until Monday and it probably wouldn't reach Home until Wednesday. Also, I had always been a bit of a perfectionist when it came to machina.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going well. We just had one last thing to finish, but if it wasn't the wiring it was the power, or the controls, or the screws, or any number of things until I was frustrated almost to the point of tears.

When I yelled at one of my squadron members in a mixture of Al Bhed and Common, using the most uncomplimentary terms from both until I thought he might pass out, I realized that I should call it a night.

I began dismissing members until it was only me, Buddy, Brother, Shinra, and Ryhcis left. Ryhcis had shown up after his own group had been dismissed for the day, and refused to leave even when I told him he could. I accepted his help mainly because he was an ace at wiring, but also because he presence was oddly soothing.

No amount of presence could calm me down a few hours later, when yet another wire short-circuited, letting out a shower of sparks that grazed my arm, giving me an array of tiny burns.

"Dammit!" I screamed, wrenching my hand out of the machina, cutting the palm on the metal as I did so. Blood splattered onto the ground of the cave and I swore furiously again.

"Language, Cid's Girl." I heard a laughing voice from the doorway say.

"Gippal." I didn't turn around, not wanting him to see the tears of pain and frustration I was trying to blink from my eyes. "I really don't have time for you right now."

"I'm hurt," Gippal said with lazy sarcasm, and I could tell he had moved into the room. "But I actually have something to give you."

"What?" I whirled around, fixing him with a glare. I was feeling pretty stupid and discouraged at the moment, and not in the mood for any of his jokes.

He just smiled at me, and held out his hand. Laying on his palm was a collecting of long, shiny wires that looked utterly new.

"I thought you might need some," he said, still half-laughing. "Seeing as how you were working with mostly old machina."

I opened my mouth, but didn't have anything to say. I looked at the wires and felt all my frustration melt. I would be able to get finished tonight after all, and ship this part off to Home for them to use on Monday.

I looked up at Gippal, who was still smiling, and then, though I have no idea what possessed me to do so, I went "Oh, Gippal!" and flung my arms around his neck.

"Hey, easy," I heard him mumble in my ear. He sounded half-amused, half-surprised. "They're just wires."

"Right." I drew back, sufficiently embarrassed. "Well, let's get these installed then and we can call it a night. I'll can send it off to Home tomorrow."

Energy and spirits renewed, we, with Gippal's help, made quick work of fixing up the last of the wiring. I thanked everyone somewhat sheepishly, apologizing for keeping them so late. Buddy and Brother shrugged it off, both knowing me so well that it didn't bother them. Shinra said he would have done the same thing in my place, and Rhycis said not to worry, and that it was nothing. Gippal just smiled.

I told them to go to their rooms get a good night's sleep and that they deserved it, and then began to move around the room, cleaning up tools and discarded parts.

I picked up one scrap of metal, then dropped it with a low cry, the sharp edges poking the cut on my hand.

"What did you do?"

Gippal, it seemed, had not left, and hurried over to me upon hearing my cry of pain. He saw the blood that had dried, crusting my palm and some of my forearm and whistled. "Geez, Rikku, what _did_ you do? I thought you'd have learned to be more careful by now."

"It's nothing." I tried to put my palm out of his sight but he grabbed on to my wrist, turning my hand this way and that to examine the cut. "And what do you mean 'by now'? I've always been careful."

Gippal let out a low chuckle. "Sure you have. Just like you've always been willing to give up on difficult machina. We grew up together, remember? I know you, Rikku." He released my wrist. "Make sure you wash that out well."

"Yeah," I said faintly. "Um, Gippal. . . Why. . . why did you bring me those wires?"

" 'Cause I knew you'd need them," Gippal said with a shrug.

"Oh." That made sense. "Well. . . . goodnight then."

"What, no kiss?"

I stopped dead, and looked up at him in surprise. He looked equally startled, as if he hadn't meant to say that. A faint blush crept into his cheeks.

"I'm just joking," he added hastily. "I mean, what happened the other night, it was--"

"A mistake." We both said at the same time. I smiled weakly and he let out a little laugh.

"Right," he agreed. "Because, after all, you're just Cid's little girl."

Just Cid's little girl. So that's what he thought of me. Just Cid's little girl. I'd been right then, the kiss just had been on a whim. I swallowed, trying to think up a response. I had been right, so why did I feel so awful?

"And you're just Gippal," I managed to croak out. I forced a smile onto my face. "SO annoying."

He laughed again, and bade me goodnight. I snuffed out the lights, then walked to my room and threw myself down on the bed without even getting undressed. His voice echoed in my head.

_You're just Cid's little girl_.

Those words hurt. They hurt a lot. I didn't know why, I hadn't been expecting him to like me. It's just. . . well I guess I'd kinda been hoping he would. But no longer. Those five words were enough to crush all of my hopes or expectations.

_I'm better off without him_, I told myself. _He's not you're type. You'd fight all the time. He's too much of a flirt. You're too young for him_.

Repeating those things over and over in my head, I rolled over and fell asleep.

---

A/N: Reviewers and reviews are fabulous, and I love you/them all. Not to blatently hint or anything like that. :) 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I just want to say thanks again for everyone who's sticking with me and taking the time to review each chapter. I really appreciate it. :)

Chapter 5

There are four main things in this world that really get me down. Or, at least as down as I ever get, which, most days, is not very.

One, is seeing my friends unhappy. I can't _stand_ to see my friends unhappy. It makes me unhappy, and I _hate_ being unhappy.

Two, mean people. Any time I see or hear about something horrible, done by a human in cold blood, I feel all icky inside. It really makes me sad sometimes to think about all the awful things people do, especially to other people.

Three, a problem with absolutely no solutions, like machina I can't fix, or some hurt I can't heal. I get _really_ frustrated, as I believe we've already covered, and then I get angry, and then I get sad.

And four, boredom. I hate to be bored. I hate not having anything to do. I always have so much energy, I hate wasting it just sitting there. It all seems to bottle up inside of me until I think I'll go crazy. I utterly _abhor_ being bored.

It was Saturday, late morning at Djose temple. I was bored.

I had already shipped off my finished (thank goodness!) part to Home first thing that morning, then skipped happily to breakfast. Afterwards, I'd cleaned up our empty workroom and prepared it for Monday when work would resume, then hunted around for anyone else who might need help.

I didn't find many people, and eventually my wandering brought me outside, to the front of the temple. I stood there for a moment, then realized I was bored.

Frantically, I began to search for something-- anything-- to do, but it seemed I was out of luck. The temple was practically empty, most people being gone for the weekend to visit their homes or families or just get away from work. I must have been through the whole place at least twice before I burst out a side entrance and found, to my great surprise, a little secluded glen, complete with a small, clear pond.

Now _here_ was something to do. I thought about just stripping right then and there, but I didn't want anyone to burst in on me whilst I swam in the buff. I didn't know how many other people knew about this place.

With in seconds I was back, now dressed in my cheery yellow bikini and dragging a fluffy green towel and flowered pink hairbrush.

Happily, I jumped into the pond with an utterly ridiculous giggle, making a tremendous splash and snorting water up my nose which only served to make me giggle harder, once I'd stopped spluttering.

I splashed around for a bit, kicking my feet and watching the water sparkle off my red toenail polish. The pond was more of a hole than a pond, and came up to about my shoulders. I entertained myself contentedly for probably half an hour, watching the sun on the water, looking around at the trees, watching the leaves fall, and seeing if it was a bunny I could hear darting around or just a squirrel. I was floating contentedly on my back with my eyes closed when my lighthearted time was cut short, by a voice that said

"Nice day, isn't it?"

With a startled scream, I flailed around, my arms splashing wildly. For a moment, I sunk under the water, then I flung myself up, throwing my hair back and blinking the water from my eyes as I stared at the person who'd startled me.

Ryhcis stood near the pond's edge looking down at me with a smile playing on his lean lips. His hair was pulled back in a small pony tail, the front parts falling free around his face. He was wearing dark blue shorts and no shirt. His chest, as tan as the rest of him (or what rest of him I had seen anyway) was long and lean, yet still had delicately defined muscles. In short, it was very hot.

I blushed, having realized I was staring at his bronzed chest, and raised my eyes to his face instead. He smiled broadly at me, and I found myself smiling back.

Paddling over to the edge of the pool, I pushed myself up and sat on the grass, dangling my legs in the water.

"Sorry for scaring you," Ryhcis lowered himself down next to me, letting his own feet sink into the clear water.

"It's okay," I said, and found myself blushing again. What was up with that? I _never_ blush. "You just caught me off guard. I wasn't paying attention. This place seems so apart and secluded."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Ryhcis looked around the glade fondly. "I discovered it my first week working here, too. It's kind of become a special place for me."

"I'm not intruding, am I?" I asked worriedly.

"Not at all," Ryhcis laughed. "You add to the scenery."

I smile at him, trying very hard not too blush _again_, and cast around for something else to say. "When did you start working here?" I asked at last, then immediately began telling myself what a stupid question it was.

"Pretty soon after Gippal founded it." Apparently, Ryhcis didn't think it was stupid. "I had left Home-- or what was left of it-- then, and, upon hearing about it, thought it a great opportunity."

"Oh." I grimaced inwardly a my response, but couldn't think of a better one as I was too preoccupied with wondering if it would be too rude or awkward to ask him why he had left Home. I had just made up my mind to do it when he spoke up again.

"Rikku. . ." Just like the way I loved hearing him speak Al Bhed, I loved the way he said my name. His voice was so rich and soft, like velvet. "Rikku, is there something between you and Gippal?"

I stared at him, having totally not expected that question. He did not seem abashed, however, but met my eyes steadily with his own. I found I couldn't hold that intense gaze for long, and looked away, trying to decide my answer.

"No," I said at last. "We grew up together, as kids, and even dated a little bit when we got older, but it was never anything serious. I'm sort of like a little sister to him, I think." I managed to say the last bit with only a trace of bitterness that I don't think Ryhcis noticed.

"I see." Was all he said. "But. . . you have an older brother, don't you?"

"Yes," I agreed, and couldn't help but giggle. "But you've met him. You know what he's like."

"I know he'd give anything to protect you," Ryhcis replied simply. "As would your father, I'm sure. You're quite a jewel, you know, the Princess of the Al Bhed. Everyone loves you."

I smiled at the compliment. "Thank you," I said. "But I think you're over-exaggerating."

"Maybe." Ryhcis looked down at his feet, kicking them lightly through the water. "Will leadership go to your brother then, once you're father resigns, or, Spira forbid, dies?"

"Well, Pop says he's going to live forever," I laughed. "But I guess so, yeah. Though I'll be a ruler too."

"Of course, and a fine one, I'm sure," Ryhcis said mildly, and I laughed again, splashing my feet like a little child. We sat for a few minutes in companionable silence, then I jumped to my feet.

"It's probably lunchtime, isn't it?" I asked, suddenly aware of my stomach growling, the noise magnified to embarrassing proportions in the silent glade. I reached down and scooped up my brush, beginning to drag it hastily through my long blond hair. "I was worried I'd have no one to sit with, what with this place being so empty. Is it always like this on the weekends?"

"Usually," Ryhcis rose to his feet as well, and my gaze was once again drawn to his slim, yet immensely attractive, physique. "Are you requesting my presence?"

"Please," I said, toweling myself down. "Though, we should probably change first. No girl will be able to eat with you parading around like that." I gestured to his bare chest with a bright smile.

"And no guy would be able to focus on his food if you strolled in there like that." Ryhcis gestured to my bikini, a teasing smile on his own face.

I slipped my arm happily through his as we headed back to the temple, separated into our own rooms to get dressed, then walked together to the mess hall.

There was only one person working there today, and the room was nearly empty, so we found a table by one of the only windows and ate a leisurely lunch, talking and laughing all the while.

Afterwards, he took me for a walk into the small (yet growing) town of Djose that lay beyond the temple. We strolled around for awhile, then he said he had to leave that night and he'd better go and pack. We walked back to the temple and I decided to help him, stuffing things haphazardly into his suitcase and rolling my eyes when he took them back out and folded them neatly before replacing them.

I cajoled him into eating dinner with me (I didn't have to try very hard), then he said he really _did_ have some place to be, and that he'd be back Monday. I pretended to pout, then walked with him to the edge of town. Once there, slightly dazzled perhaps by the beautiful sight of the pinky sunset with it's dusting of stars, I stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, wishing him good luck, then dashed off to the temple before he barely had time to say thank you.

I lay awake for a very long time that night, suddenly more anxious than ever for it the weekend to be over.  
---

Sunday passed slowly and uneventfully. I sat out side in the shade for most of it, reading and drinking lemonade a boy in the kitchen was kind enough to make for me, and watching the arrivals of the squadron members as they trickled back to the temple from wherever they had been over the weekend.

Ryhcis, to my disappointment, didn't arrive at all (not that he had said he would, but one can always hope) and I went to bed eagerly awaiting his return the following day.

I was in the round cave with the rest of the _Tilgmehk_s, all fresh from the weekend, when a petite Al Bhed girl came running in to tell me there was someone out front who wanted to talk to me.

"Who is it?" I asked, half my body buried in a new piece of machina. I figured it couldn't be Ryhcis, for he wouldn't bother asking for me outside, he'd just come in. And if it wasn't Ryhcis, I wasn't very interested.

"He wouldn't tell me his name," the girl replied. I snorted.

"Then I'm not coming out," I answered simply, my voice muffled by the machina I was practically climbing into. "Hand me that wrench by your foot."

"He's says he'll find a way to get you out," the girl said as she handed me the requested wrench. "He said he'd ëthink of something'."

I banged my head on the inside of the machina at the emphasis she put on those last words and withdrew hurriedly, rubbing the injured part. "He said that?"

"Yeah, he told me to tell you." She looked at me curiously. "Do you know him?"

"I think so," I said, and handed back the wrench. "Give this to the guy with the shaved head and goggles over there and tell him to take over for me for a moment."

The girl did what I asked without question as I stripped off my borrowed Machine Faction jumpsuit and bolted for the temple entrance.

When I burst out the front door there were a few people standing around, including Gippal who seemed to be discussing a sheaf of papers with an elderly Al Bhed. All my attention was focussed on an entirely different blond guy, however. He was standing a little off the path that led to the temple, one hand nervously toying with his tousled hair as he smiled at me in a crookedly charming way that I knew so well. With a delighted squeal that I'm sure they heard all the way in the Moonflow, I flung myself forward into Tidus' arms.

"It's good to see you too," he said, laughing and swinging me in a big circle. I giggled enthusiastically, tightened my grip around his neck and tugging playfully on a piece of his blond hair.

"We haven't seen you in forever," he said once he'd set me down, pushing me away to take in my appearance. "Lookin' good!"

"Same to you!" I giggled, flinging myself forward for another brief hug. I hadn't realized how much I'd been missing my friends. "I've just been so busy--" I pulled back, giving him a delighted smile. "I'm the leader of my very own squadron now, you know. First Machina Squadron for the reconstruction of Home."

"So Yuna told me," Tidus said with a happy smile of his own. "Sounds important."

"It is," I chirped brightly, linking my arm through his and looking around. "Is Yuna here?"

"No," Tidus said, and there was a note of sadness in his voice. Still bloody inseparable, those two, I thought with an inner smile. It was hard to get annoyed with them though, when they were so sweet. "She couldn't come with me. She was meeting with that one pray guy. . . "

"Baralai," I supplied.

"Right, Baralai."

"What was the meeting about?" I cocked my head to one side questioningly. Poor Yuna barley got a moment's rest. "Not another thing about peace between all the groups, was it?"

"No, it was something about the temples." Tidus shrugged, as if he could care less what it had been about. "But she sent me here with a message. Well, two actually. "

"Really?" I asked interestedly. "For who?"

"One for that kid-- Shinra. And one for you."

"For me?" I asked, even more interested now. "From Yuna? What'd she say?" Of all my friends, I think I missed Yuna the most. She was my cousin, and we had been through so much together, what with Sin and Vegnagun and all.

"She says she's furious with you," Tidus said, smiling at my indignant squawk. "Because you haven't contacted in her in ages and didn't tell her about coming to here to Djose."

"I--"

"And that you haven't come to Besaid in even longer, and if you don't show up soon she'll knock you over the head and drag you off herself."

I laughed at that, being able to hear Yuna's voice saying those exact words in my head. "She would too, wouldn't she?" I laughed again, and Tidus joined in. "Well, I guess I'll have to contact her later tonight on the CommSpheres. What's the message for Shinra?"

"It's actually about the CommSpheres," Tidus said, rummaging in his pant's pockets for a scroll. "Something about extending the network."

"Oh," I said, "Well, I can take you to him right now, if you'd like." I tightened my grip on his arm and steered him into the temple, heading towards our Squadron's room. "Why didn't Yuna just call us on the network?"

"Because I may need to bring something back for her," Tidus said airily. We reached the room and I led Tidus inside. "Is this where you work? _Rammu_, Brother."

Brother acknowledged Tidus' greeting with a short nod, intent on the machina he was attacking vigorously with a wrench. I looked across the room, checking to see that Buddy was giving instructions and working on the machina properly before turning back to Tidus to find him grinning at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, but the smug little smile remained. "It's just. . . you've changed, you know."

"No I haven't!" I declared, indignant again.

"Yes, you have," Tidus persisted, adding hurriedly "Not in a bad way. You've just, grown up a bit I guess."

"A bit," I repeated, then giggled. "Well, I guess it was inevitable. Oh, here's Shinra."

As Tidus turned to greet the youngest Gullwing and relay his message, I turned back to the room, checking my squadron's progress. I had gently reproved a young man for attempting to take short cuts with his wiring, donned my jump suit once more in order to help a tough Al Bhed with a particularly obstinate oil valve, and broken a screwdriver by the time Tidus sought me out again.

"Are you leaving?" I asked, my face falling. "I barely got to see you at all."

"I'm staying the night," Tidus said with yet another grin. "And leaving for Besaid tomorrow morning. That is, if you have a space for me in your room."

"Of course I do!" I punched him on the arm, beaming. "You're not implying that anything, are you? Like that fact that I might be already sharing my room with someone else? Because I'm not, you jerk."

"I wasn't implying anything," Tidus said airily, but I could tell he was laughing at me. I hit him again, but I was laughing too. He responded to my blow with a mock-sneer, then turned around. "Do you want to tell her?"

I peered around him questioningly to see Shinra standing there, looking uncomfortable-- something I'd never seen him look before.

"I'm leaving with Tidus," he said quietly in Al Bhed. "For a bit, anyway. They need my help with the new CommSpheres, as I am am the only one gifted enough to understand them fully. They were my invention in the first place, anyway."

"Yes they were," I said, catching Tidus' eye and grinning. No doubt he'd used flattery to sway my engineer to his cause. "You should probably pack tonight. Tidus isn't really a morning person, but you'll still probably be leaving pretty early."

"You're not mad?" Shinra looked up at me, surprised.

"Not at all." I smiled down at him. "Just disappointed. Without my best engineer, I guess I'll just have to do all the building myself. Finish up with the mechanism's shell construction, and then you can go. Just come back soon okay?"

"Sure!" Shinra cried happily, and reached forward to give me an impulsive hug before dashing off.

I smiled after him, watching as he nearly knocked over a group of technicians to get back to his mechanism, attacking it with more enthusiasm than even, then I turned once more to Tidus.

"I gotta finish up here," I said. "You can hang around if you want, or go explore the temple. Dinner's in just a few hours."

"I'll stay," Tidus offered cheerfully. "Maybe I can be of some help. Are we diving into any underwater ruins?"

"Not quite," I laughed, and took him over to the machina I had been working on when I'd been interrupted by his arrival. I shoved Brother, who was rather irked at me and told me that I couldn't just stop working anytime I wanted, especially since I was the leader, aside, replying that I could too stop working anytime I wanted, _because_ I was the leader. He then threw a wrench at me, and I kicked him in the shin, then got back to work.

Tidus, while fairly ignorant about machina, did help out by holding wires, fetching tools, and listening attentively as I happily explained everything I was doing, delighted to have an audience to listen to my chatter. And, thanks to his help, I was able to finish what I had planned for that day shortly after dinner, dismissing my squadron and leaving the rest of my evening free to spend with Tidus.

I hunted around for the Djose CommSphere, and was able to get a hold of Yuna. She was pretty busy, but I managed to talk to her for a bit with a promise to call her again soon. Then Tidus seized the sphere to say a few words (despite my mock-annoyed wail of "You'll see her _tomorrow_!) and we said good-bye.

Tidus and I walked to the bridge in front of the temple, me swinging myself up to sit on the railing despite Tidus' worried admonitions. The stars were just beginning to come out in the rapidly darkening sky when I broke the companionable silence that had fallen once our conversation lagged.

"Tidus?" I asked softly. He responded with an equally soft "Hmmm?" which I took to mean he was listening. "What's love like?"

"What?" He tilted his head to look at me, perched as I was on the railing next to him.

"What's love like?" I repeated.

"Why?" Even by the dim light, I could tell he was smirking. "Do you have someone in mind?"

My thoughts suddenly jumped to Ryhcis, all white blond hair and intense eyes and bronze muscles. Then, without warning, I thought of spiky straw colored hair, and a single eye, crinkling with a smile. _We made quite the couple_.

"No!" I said with a bit more force than I had meant to. "I'm just. . . wondering. You and Yuna obviously have it," I noted the smile that softened his features with an odd sort of pang. "And I never have. I don't think. That's just the thing," I turned to meet his gaze with mine. "How am I supposed to know?"

"You'll know," Tidus said confidently. "If you're in love, you'll know. Oh, maybe not at first." His gaze returned to off the bridge. "But eventually, you realize it. You know the saying ëfalling in love'? Well, it's kind of like that. It's like falling, but not a short fall off a step or something. True love. . . true love is like falling off a cliff. It's a free fall, one without harnesses or spells to guarantee yourself safety. You just have to shut your eyes and throw yourself into the air and hope that someone will be there to catch you at the bottom."

"What if they're not?" I asked quietly, sounding stupid and childish even to my own ears. "What if no one's there, and you just shatter to pieces on the rocks?"

Tidus turned to me with a wry smile. "That is what they call a broken heart."

I was silent for a moment, thinking over what he'd said. "So, falling in love with Yuna," I said at last. "Was like falling off a cliff?"

"Yeah," Tidus said. "By the time I'd noticed I was slipping, I had gone too far to go back. I can't pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with her, the exact moment I started to fall. All I know was that she was there, after a few bumps and bruises, waiting for me, at the bottom, and it was the most wonderful experience of my life. It still is."

I nodded, my throat oddly too tight for speaking all of a sudden. I hastily turned back to the moon, telling myself that the pricking feeling in the corners of my eyes was just from the night air. After a few moments I was able to turn back to Tidus and punch him lightly on the arm.

"Hey!" I said, managing my normal bright tone. "When did you get so smart? You didn't use to make speeches like that!"

Tidus laughed. "No, I guess I didn't."

"Maybe you're growing up too," I taunted, making a face.

Tidus smiled at me, something unreadable in his eyes. "Maybe I am," he said. Looking at him, I sighed, then turned back to the moon once more.

We sat outside a little longer, then decided to call it a night. I took Tidus back to my room and helped him set up a cot, upon which he almost instantly fell asleep.

I crawled into my own bed and lay there for quite some time, listening to my friend's even breaths. In my mind, I went over what he said once more. _True love is like falling off a cliff. . . You just have to shut your eyes and throw yourself into the air and hope that someone will be there to catch you at the bottom. . . That's what they call a broken heart._

Once, I had thought myself in love with Gippal, but it hadn't been like falling off a cliff. At least, I don't think it was. I think it had been more like a controlled fall, one with a harness and a support system, not a free fall. I had hit the bottom rather harder than I had meant to, but I had gotten up again and walked off fairly unscathed.

I had never truly been in love then, if it really was like Tidus had described. Suddenly, I felt a great surge of envy for my cousin, to have someone who cared about her so much, to have experienced this ëfree fall' that Tidus described. What I wouldn't give to experience something like that, just once. . .

Thoughts drifting pleasantly, flitting about my brain and conjuring confused images of white blond hair and black eye patches and slow smiles and arrogant laughter, I fell into a deep sleep.

--  
-  
A/N: What is with every chapter ending with Rikku falling asleep? It just provides a good opportunity for her thoughts, I guess. At the end there, she is supposed to be thinking about both Ryhcis and Gippal, like the two are sort of becoming one in her mind, which sets up for coming chapters. . . .  
Anyway, thanks again to all my reviewers, hopefully you'll be as kind with this chapter as you have been with all the others. It's rather long, but cutting off right after the Ryhcis thing was too short. . . Oh, and no worries. Gippal will return soon. I'm actually going to instill a plot in this thing, can you believe it:)


	6. Chapter 6

Anyone who has reviewed, thanks for sticking with me and being so sweet and telling me such nice things about my characters and my writing and my flow. I've never had anyone say such nice, helpful stuff before.   
I also want to say that I was never even thinking of any Rikku/Tidus, so no worries! (Despite what Gippal may think in this upcoming chapter) :) I love the idea of Tidus as a big brother to Rikku, and they're so sweet together in the game, with their protection of Yuna and all. . . And isn't Ryhcis just fabulous? I'm so glad he's well recieved. You guys make me feel so talented! Thanks again! Sorry about the long rambling, on with the chapter. It's a bit shorter this time.

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Chapter 6

"A Mister Meyn to see you, sir."

I looked up from the report I was holding in my hands, blinking to get the daze out of my eye.

"What?" I blinked again, trying to pretend I had actually been reading the report and not zoning out.

"There is a Mister Meyn to see you, sir." The Al Bhed messenger repeated. "Shall I send him in?"

"Um, no." I stood up hurriedly, banging into the table and shoving in backwards a few inches. "I'll see him outside. I need the air."

I strode past the messenger and out of my ëoffice', which was little more than a circular cave with loads of file cabinets and a big rectangular table surrounded by comfy leather chairs. I had set it up when I had first commandeered the Djose temple for my uses, and since then could have taken more, but I liked it how it was.

I emerged from the temple into the afternoon sunlight and took a deep breath, glad to be outside. I was still a desert boy at heart, and probably always would be. Finishing with my stretching, I looked around for this ëMister Meyn". I saw a unfamiliar looking guy standing a little ways away and wondered if that was him. He wasn't all that tall (shorter than me) with unruly blond hair and rather odd clothing. I started to approach him when a voice at my side said,

"Gippal? Sir?"

Turning, I found an elderly Al Bhed with silver streaked blond hair and watery eyes looking at me with an unreadable expression. I regarded him shrewdly.

"Mister Meyn, I presume?"

He bowed low. "It is an honor, sir. I've heard all about you, of course, but I didn't quite expect--"

"Expect what?" I asked, keeping my voice light and pleasant. This Meyn guy spoke in elegant, deliberate Al Bhed. I responded easily, but couldn't help notice how old fashioned his accent seemed to mine.

"Someone so young," Meyn said smoothly. "For you have accomplished a great deal in a small amount of time. It is most commendable." He made another bow, but I just looked at him.

"Thank you," I replied, but I was a bit wary now. For someone so dignified and distinguished to compliment me this much seemed a bit odd. I let the silence stretch until it was apparent Meyn was waiting for me to continue. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so, sir." Reaching down, Meyn pulled some papers from the bag at his side. "You see, I have this proposition."

We were interrupted by a high-pitched squeal that erupted through the air like the delighted cry of a bird. Looking around, I saw Rikku emerge from the temple, run forward, and throw herself into the arms of the strange looking blond guy I'd noticed before.

My eye narrowed as I watched him spin her around, remembering how I had thought Rikku had had some practice at kissing since we'd dated. Could this be some ex-boyfriend of hers? Or even worse, some type of friend with benefits?

I tore my gaze away from the sight of Rikku smiling happily and hugging that stupid guy again, and forced myself to turn back to Meyn.

"I'm listening."

"Well, sir, I am a part of an organization called Al Bhed Vun Spira, or Al Bhed For Spira," he smiled at me, showing cracked, yellowing teeth. He'd obvious ëbeen through the mill', as the saying goes. "We're all about the relationship between Spira and the Al Bhed, especially after the defeat of Sin."

I nodded to show I was still listening, but I continued to watch Rikku and that guy out of the corner of my eye, wishing this Meyn would just get to the damn point already.

"And we'd like your support in our cause." Meyn was looking at me expectantly now.

"Support?" I gave him my full attention, eye narrowing once more. "What kind of support? Machina? Gil? Because the Machina Faction doesn't do anything for free. Not for anyone, Al Bhed or not."

"Oh, I understand that sir." Meyn bowed again. I wished he would stop. "What we're asking for is a simple statement, possibly a public one, that you support our cause and agree with our methods."

I raised an eyebrow, looking at him skeptically. "I never even heard of you before, and now you want me to declare my support of you? Why?"

"We're trying to get as many Al Bhed behind our cause as we can," Meyn answered smoothly. "And as you are such an important one yourself, we thought it'd be a great step if you were seen supporting us--"

"But I've never even _heard_ of you." I was now staring at the elderly Al Bhed in disbelief. What the hell was he thinking?

"I understand that, sir." He held the papers up again. "And I brought these for you to peruse at your leisure. They contain all the information you'll need to make your decision. We can wait as long as necessary for your answer. I hope it will be a favorable one." He bowed again and I resisted the urge to smack him as I took the papers.

"Yes, well." I was at a bit of a loss for words, and I hate being at a loss for words. "Thank you. I'll look these over, and get back to you soon." I glanced back towards the temple, having noted (without meaning to, of course) Rikku and her friend disappearing inside.

"_Dryhg oui_," Meyn said with yet _another _bow. Spira was I ready to kick him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, then hastened towards the temple. I'd check on Rikku's team (what were they calling themselves? Duck-somethings) just to see how they we're getting along. I was the leader of the Faction after all, it was perfectly normal for me to check on my members. It had nothing to do with that blond guy.

I didn't quite make it to Rikku's room however, for as I entered the temple, Ryhcis excited, moving past me towards Meyn. Curious, I watched them shake hands, Ryhcis exclaiming warmly in Al Bhed,

"Eblen! What are you doing here?"

"Please," I heard Meyn answer, a smile on his face. "It's Mister Meyn. Show some respect to your elders."

"My apologies," Ryhcis made a mock-bow, also smiling. "But what _are _you doing here?"

"I was asking that young leader for support," Eblen Meyn replied.

"I see." Ryhcis was nodding, clearly knowing what Meyn was talking about. "And did he give it?"

"Not yet." Meyn shrugged. "But he probably will soon, especially once the reporters show up. How about you? I heard you've been spending some time with our leader's daughter. What is that about?"

Leader's daughter? Rikku? I ducked further into the shadows of the doorway, all attention focussed on Ryhcis and Meyn now.

"Oh well she's been working here," Ryhcis replied with a determinedly casual air, but I thought I saw the faintest of blushes on his cheeks. "And she's quite a fun little girl. Not at all what I might have expected."

A fun little girl? What did that mean? What Ryhcis and Rikku been doing together?

"And your assignment?" Meyn's voice had lowered an octave, suddenly sounding a lot less fatherly and a lot more deadly.

"I'm working on it." For once, Ryhcis sounded a bit ruffled. "Don't worry. It's all under control."

"Hmph." Meyn crossed his arms. "Just make sure it gets done, okay? And quietly."

"Of course." Ryhcis smiled, smooth and charming once more.

"Right, well I'd better be going." Meyn eyed Ryhcis with a stern air. "I'll see you around, okay?"

"Sure." They shook hands again. "Take care, _Mister_ Meyn." There was just a hint of scorn beneath the joking tone in his voice, but apparently Meyn didn't hear it, for he clapped Ryhcis on the back and strode towards the bridge.

Seeing the Ryhcis heading back towards the temple, I moved from my concealed spot and headed purposefully towards my room. I sat down at my table once more, but did not go back to my report. Instead, I turned my attention to the papers Meyn had given me, thinking over what I had just heard.

Was Ryhcis working for Meyn? And if so, what was he doing for him? What was his ëassignment'? Did it have something to do with Rikku?

_I'll have to talk to her_. I thought. _Warn her._

About what? Another side of me cut in. _You don't know anything for a fact. Just that Ryhcis may be working for someone else besides you, someone that may be the slippery Meyn who you'd like nothing better than to--_

I still have to warn her. I argued with myself. _Just to put her on her guard, at least. This whole _ëAl Bhed Vun Spira' _thing seems odd, and if Ryhcis is mixed up in it, and Rikku is mixed up with him. . ._

For someone reason, that thought sent an odd, burning feeling through me and I was forced to push it to the back of my mind, or else risk going and pounding answers out of Ryhcis himself.

Settling back into my chair, I put Rikku firmly from my mind and began to read Meyn's papers.  
---

I went to see Rikku the next morning. I had watched, once again hiding in the shadows of the doorway, her saying good-bye to her friend (who turned out to be Lady Yuna's boyfriend, but who I think had still spent the night in Rikku's room) and Shinra, who was leaving the blond guy.

Then, looking a little downhearted, Rikku began to head back to her room. I started to intercept her, when I was detained by a technician who was having some serious problems with signal misfires, causing his machina to do some very odd things.

By the time I had got that sorted out, Rikku had long since disappeared into her room. I approached it only to see Ryhcis ducking in ahead of me. Watching yet again from a door way, I leaned against the frame and kept my eye trained on Ryhcis' white blond head as he approached Rikku.

She was seated in the middle of the floor, legs crossed, holding a large piece of machina in her hands, wires and bolts and tools strewn across her lap.

"Hey." Ryhcis squatted down next to her. "You called?"

"Yeah!" For some reason, seeing Rikku's eyes light up and her face brighten with a smile as she looked up at Ryhcis made me want to stride over there and kick him until he fell over. "Shinra was working on this control mechanism for our machina, but now that he's gone I've had to pick up where he left off. The problem is--" Her nose wrinkled with frustration, and I found a small smile tugging on my lips at her cuteness. "I can't figure it out! Brother says he can install it once it's up and running, but I can't seem to get it to work. It keeps falling apart." She looked up at Ryhcis again. "I thought you might be able to help."

What? She had asked _him_ for help, instead of _me_? Wasn't I the leader of this faction? What was she doing asking Ryhcis for help first? I mean, sure he worked with Hovers and all but I would have expected her to at least _ask_ me. . .

Frowning at this unexpected blow to my ego, I watched Ryhcis take the machina from Rikku and turn it about in his slim, long fingered hands.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, looking up at her and smiling.

"Thanks!" Rikku returned his smile with a dazzling one of her own, then jumped up happily to help some of her mechanics angle a particularly odd shape of metal into it's place on a loudly hissing machina.

My frown deepened into a scowl. There'd be no talking to her now, not with Ryhcis in there. Didn't he have his own job to do? Perhaps he'd arranged it with his captain. I smirked, thinking I could easily fix that.

For the rest of the day, I kept myself busy running the Faction as I am actually supposed to do, being the leader and all. I didn't see either Ryhcis or Rikku again until dinner, which was incidentally when I decided my little talk couldn't wait.

Ryhcis had slid in next to Rikku, an arm draped casually over the back of her chair, and she was talking to him animatedly, throwing her long hair over her shoulder and displaying even white teeth as she smiled unendingly. Ryhcis was smiling as well, his eyes fixed on hers, neither seeming to pay much attention to the food.

That strange burning feeling welled up within me once more and I felt the irrepressible urge to throw something. Why was Ryhcis having this effect on me? And was it Ryhcis. . . or Rikku?

Seeing Rikku getting up (Ryhcis standing up immediately when she did, obviously playing the chivalry card that damn oaf) I hastened to do the same, catching her just outside the mess hall.

"Rikku," I said, hurrying up to her. She turned to regard me, and I was hit by the sudden luminance of those big green eyes. "I need to talk to you."

I was looking at her and at her only, as if Ryhcis wasn't even there. He seemed to get the hint and touched her lightly on the arm.

"I'll go get started on the wiring," he said softly.

"Okay." Rikku flashed him one of those brilliant smiles, then turned to me. "What is it?"

"It's. . .um. . ." Now that I had her here, all her attention focussed on me, I wasn't sure exactly what to say. "It's about Ryhcis."

"What about him?" She sounded slightly curious, and slightly wary, as if she knew what I was about to say wasn't going to be very cheerful.

I sighed and took hold of her arm, pulling out of the main section of the hall and pretending I couldn't feel the warmth of her flesh under mine. Once I'd gotten her into a more secluded place (just so we wouldn't be overheard) I told her all about Eblen Meyn and his and Ryhcis' conversation. Once I had finished I waited for her to say something, but she merely looked at me.

"Okay," she said at last.

"Okay?" I echoed. "That's it?"

"Yes. What else do you want me to say?" Something in her tone had changed towards me. She was talking to me like I was. . . Brother or somebody.

"Well, I--"

"Do you want me to say I'll never speak to him again, or that I'll report him to my dad?"

"No, I--" She was still looking at me rather blandly, green eyes blinking slowly. My own eye narrowed in sudden anger, but whether it was anger at her or at myself, I couldn't tell. "I just want you to be careful."

Rikku snorted, and looked away, but didn't say anything for a few moments. At last, she looked up at me once more, the expression in her eyes unreadable.

"I'll be careful, Gippal." The way she said my name made me shiver slightly. Her voice was light, yet flat. "Even though I don't think it's your place to tell me to be so."

And then she was moving past me, walking off down the hallway towards her room, her long mane of hair swinging behind her.

I stared after her until she disappeared, my thoughts swirling in a confused, jumbled whirlpool of emotions. I was furious, furious with Rikku for reacting so calmly to my news and treating me so neutrally. I was also hurt, for the same reasons. And on top of that, I was angry at myself for feeling angry and hurt, trying to tell myself yet again, that I didn't care for Rikku. At least not in _that_ way. However, this time I wasn't so easily fooled.  
---

I sighed and stretched, raising my arms over my head and arching my back, reveling in the soft sunlight and smiling simply because I could.

It hadn't been an easy morning, so when Ryhcis came to me at lunch and asked if I'd like to take our food for a brief picnic in the secluded glade where I had been swimming the other day, I was more than happy to oblige.

We were seated very close to each other now, on the thick carpet of lush green grass, hands nearly touching as we sat in companionable silence, drinking in the beauty of the leaves and tress and sunshine. There was only one thing that was stopping me from utter contentment, and that was Gippal.

I kept hearing his words in my mind, his warnings against Ryhcis, his suspicious about him and Meyn, and, above all, his request that I be careful. I didn't consider it right for _him_ to be telling _me_ to be careful, and I told him so.

After all, hadn't he given up most of his ëI'm-concerned-about-you' rights when he so callously brushed me off after our kiss? He had made it perfectly clear I was no more than a little kid to him, so he had no right now to start acting as if I was. . . more.

I sighed again, but this time it wasn't our of happiness. It was out of annoyance, wishing Gippal would get the hell out of my head and leave me to enjoy the afternoon and the sunshine and--

"Ryhcis," I said before I could stop myself. Gippal's doubts had gotten to me more than I let on. After all, what did I really know about this Al Bhed? It couldn't hurt to ask. . . "Who was that man you were talking to outside the temple the other day?"

"Who?" Ryhcis looked at me inquiringly, reaching forward absently to brush a piece of hair off my shoulder. His touch made me shiver.

"That older guy, Meyn, or something. . ." Since he had done it for me, I was forced to reach out and brush his pale blond hair away from his face, letting me see the full intensity of those eyes, which were currently fixed directly on my own.

"Oh, he's just an old friend." Ryhcis' hand had remained in my hair, stroking the golden strands, away from my face, down my back. . . I found myself shivering again.

"Oh." I didn't know how to further press him without seeming like I was prying. I let my hand drop to the grass between us once more, but his hand simply slid from hair to the back of my neck, cupping it gently.

"You belong in the sunshine, you know," Ryhcis said softly. His hand tightened ever so slightly on my neck and he drew me nearer.

"I'm a desert girl," I said, my voice equally soft. "Through and through. I love the sun."

"Mmmm." He was still drawing me near, and I found I wasn't resisting in the slightest. My eyes seemed to be glued to his, but I was conscious of his lips, long and lean and soft looking, just inches from my own. "It suits you."

I smiled at him and he smiled back, then closed the distance between us and kissed me.

He was soft, gentle, and undemanding. I felt his other arm move, and tensed, in case he put his hand somewhere I didn't want it, but he merely settled it at my waist, pulling me slightly closer.

I relaxed, discovering that my arms had wound themselves around his neck, and one of my hands had tangled in his hair. He continued to kiss me, so soft and sweet, and I kissed him back.

Eventually, we broke the kiss, but didn't break our embrace. I smiled up at Ryhcis once again, and he smiled back at me. I brought one of my hands (the one not twisting his soft blond locks around my fingers) up to gently trace his jaw line, marveling at the softness of his tan skin. My thoughts were wheeling wildly, but it was in a pleasant way. I couldn't think of anything really to say, except,

"The sunshine suits you, too."

Ryhcis smiled, then leaned forward to kiss me again.

---

A/N: I had a little trouble with this chapter, and I'm still not sure if it's quite. . . right. I mean, the whole Meyn thing. . . well I just had a little trouble with it, that's all. I wasn't sure exactly how to end it, after the kiss, either. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming please!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Have I done one of those disclaimer things yet? Cause I kind of feel like I should. Cause. . . you know. Well, anyway, I don't own any of this (well I suppose I own some of it, like Ryhcis and the plot and stuff. Heh, I own Ryhcis. . .) and Sqauresoft etc. does. There. I feel better now. :)  
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Chapter 7

"Hey," I slid into into the breakfast table between Brother and Ryhcis, shooting the latter a small smile. "Morning guys."

"Morning." Ryhcis returned my smile. He reached for the juice. "What's on the agenda today?"

"We're finally installing the mechanism." My face lit up with delighted anticipation. Ryhcis had spent all yesterday afternoon working on it, and I had spent all yesterday afternoon trying not to hover over his shoulders and see what he was doing. He had finished shortly after dinner, but it had been too late to install it that night. . . "I can't wait."

Ryhcis smiled again, and his hand found mine under the table. "I'm glad you're so excited. Unfortunately, I can't be there today."

"Why not?" I could feel my face falling, my happiness evaporating.

"A hover crashed yesterday on the Highroad, so they need all hands today." Ryhcis shrugged ruefully. "In fact, I'd better get going." He stood up, put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, then moved out of the mess hall.

I watched him go with what I guess was a pretty dazed expression because Brother reached forward and pinched me on the arm. Hard.

"What?" I asking angrily, jerking away from him.

"That's what I want to ask you," Brother said in menacing Al Bhed. "_What_ exactly in going on between you and Ryhcis?"

"Oh, that." I turned back to my breakfast, but couldn't repress a little smirk.

"Don't oh that' me." Brother and I may have argued a lot, but he could get pretty damn protective when he felt the occasion warranted it. "Obviously, there's something between you, and you're going to tell me what it is, right now." He leaned towards me, raising his hand again to go for my arm. "Spill."

"All right!" Again I jerked away, wanting to keep my arms from becoming black and blue. "We just kissed, you know?"

"When?" Apparently, he wasn't backing off.

"Yesterday," I made to stand up. "We should really get to work--" Brother jerked me back down.

"What are his intentions?"

"His intentions?" Despite being slightly annoyed, I laughed. "I haven't asked him. What would like him to say? A ring? Marriage?" I shook my head. "I would have never thought you'd be as old fashioned as Pops--"

"I'm not being old fashioned, Rikku." He reached out and seized my wrist in a rather tight grip that made me let out a little squeak. "I just don't want you to be hurt."

"I'll be _fine_." I pried his fingers off. "It's sweet of you to worry, but really, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"You're not a big girl," I heard Brother mumble, dropping the Al Bhed as if that would make me suddenly unable to understand him. "You're actually a very little girl. . ."

I whacked him in the back of the head, then danced away blithely towards our room. After Ryhcis had gone to bed last night (and after I'd managed to sneak a quick good night kiss) I had demanded of Brother that he tell me how to install the mechanism. Now that Ryhcis had fixed it, I wanted to install it myself. Brother had told me how, and now I was going to go see if I could figure it out.

I was prevented from getting there right away, however, by Gippal.

He stepped in front of me so suddenly that I swear he came out of the wall. I stepped backwards with a little gasp, nearly tripping over the hems of my long jeans.

"Hi," I said, looking up at him with my brightest smile. "Can I help you?"

Gippal didn't answer right away, but glowered down at me, his eye narrowed with an emotion I couldn't figure out. Then, without warning, he seized my arm and hauled me off down the hallway.

"Hey!" I squawked in Al Bhed, trying to pull away from his hold. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer once again, but dragged me into his office, practically throwing me into a chair before slamming the door shut.

"What were you thinking?" He rounded on me, fury written in every line of his face. I found myself recoiling slightly in the big leather chair, feeling suddenly very small and young.

"Gippal, what--"

"You know what!" I had never seen Gippal this angry. His cheeks blazed with color, his eye glittered dangerously, his body was rigid and tense. "I told you to be careful around him, and instead you go and _kiss_ _him_?"

Oh. I understood what this was about now. I felt anger boiling up inside me as well and sat forward a little.

"Look, Gippal, I don't think it's any of your business--"

"You don't know him!" Gippal's voice was almost a roar. "You don't know anything about him! He could be a spy, or a murderer, or--"

"Gippal!" I stood up, glaring at the older Al Bhed. "It is _none_ of your concern who I kiss or don't kiss!"

"Yes it is!" Gippal put a hand on my shoulder and pushed, knocking me back down into the leather chair.

"No, it isn't!" My voice had risen to nearly the volume of Gippal's. "I told you before it is not your place to be worried about me. Besides, I don't see what's got you so upset--"

Gippal made an odd noise that was half between a snort and a huff. He put his hands firmly on the arms of the chair and leaned towards me, his face inches from my own. "It's _Ryhcis_, Rikku. I told you what I'd overheard, and you've only known him for a for a little while, and--"

He stopped as I suddenly drew in a low breath, my eyes going wide. "Oh," I whispered. "I get it. I get what this is all about." Putting my hands on Gippal's shoulders, I gave him a hard shove, sending him stumbling backwards. "You're jealous!"

Gippal stared at me furiously for a moment, spluttering. "I-- you-- I'm not--"

"You're jealous!" My whisper had become a hiss. "You're jealous!" I sprang to my feet, glaring at Gippal, hands clenched at my sides. "How dare you!"

"What?" My last shriek seemed to have caught Gippal off guard.

"How dare you be jealous of Ryhcis!" My face had twisted into a scowl. Gippal seemed even more bemused. "How dare you be jealous of anyone I'm involved with!"

"Why?" Gippal seemed to have gotten his voice back. He moved forward, taking a hold of my arm. "Why can't I be? After all, we used to go out--"

"You rejected me!" I wrenched my arm from his grip. "You told me I was nothing more to you than Cid's little girl!"

Gippal mouthed soundlessly a bit, seeming at a loss for words once more. "But. . ." he said at last. "I. . . I didn't reject you!" His anger returned. "I don't remember you being offered!"

"Oh, don't be stupid," I hissed. "You made it perfectly clear after our kiss that I wasn't good enough for you. That I wasn't slutty enough or big boobed enough, or whatever is wrong with me. You rejected me, and gave up any right then for jealousy."

"Come on," Gippal sneered. "Don't be so immature, Rikku. I may have acted like a fool then, but that doesn't mean--"

"What?" I demanded. "That doesn't mean that you still wouldn't mind playing tonsil hockey with me on occasion?"

"Rikku--"

"This isn't fair, Gippal!" I was shrieking again. "You can't casually brush me aside one day, then decide you want me the next, simply because you've found out someone else likes me too, and is actually willing to admit it. I'm not some plaything of yours. You don't own me Gippal!"

His eye was narrowed again and he approached me, reaching for my arm once more. "I never said anything--"

"No," I cut him off, and was surprised at how flat and emotionless my voice had become. "You never did. And now it's too late."

I extracted my arm from his grasp and walked past him silently, avoiding his gaze. I pulled open to door of his office and left without another word, shutting it softly behind me.

My first thought was to go to my room, throw myself down on my bed, and cry my eyes out. Then I remembered that I still had work to do. The mechanism still needed installing, and I would be damned of I let Brother do it instead of me.

I headed for the _Tilgmehk_s room, as I originally planned before Gippal had intercepted me. Gippal. . . I found my hands clenching again and forced myself to relax, to put Gippal from my mind. He couldn't do this to me, just decide that yeah, actually he was kind of interested after all. Well it was too late. I had told him so, and I meant it. But ugh, did it make me _mad_. . .

I emerged into our room, my face apparently still set in a scowl because the mechanic crouching near to doorway nearly dropped the sphere he was holding in surprise.

"Lady Rikku?" I loved these guys. They always called me lady'. "Is something wrong?" And they were so sweet. Could you find better people to work with? No, I didn't think so.

"Um, no, Derrick," I made a point to know and call them all by their names. "Everything is fine. Thanks." I looked around. "My brother hasn't gotten to the mechanism yet, has he? The one Ryhcis repaired for us?"

"No, Lady," Derrick replied. "I think he's still at breakfast."

"Figures," I snorted, smiling fondly. "He eats like a pig, but he's as skinny as a rail."

"Kind of like you?" Derrick asked with a sly smile, blushing a little at his own daring.

I stuck my tongue out him good-naturedly, then skipped happily towards the end of the room where the mechanism lay next to the central compartment of the machina I would be installing it into.

Fifteen minutes later I was sitting, cross legged on the floor a number of tools and devices strewn across my lap, holding the mechanism reverently in my hands.

"I think it's ready," I murmured to myself. "I think it's ready."

I rose to my knees, sending bolts and wrenches and screwdrivers tumbling to the floor with loud clinking noises. Still kneeling, I scooted over to the machina and open it's metal hatch. After some maneuvering and cursing, I got the mechanism in, then bit my lip, trying to remember exactly what Brother had told me.

"There should be three wires on the left," I muttered in Al Bhed, unaware that I was speaking out loud. "Here, a red, a blue-- ouch! Damn, oh and the green. . ."

Mumbling happily, I hooked up the wires, then twisted the the top around. Now according to Brother, I should be able to see a square hole, and two oval ones. However, the square hole was still half covered by the top of the machina, and there was a circular one on the other side of the ovals.

I frowned. I wrenched on the top again, but it didn't move. Maybe Brother was wrong? There was a circle ended cable here, perhaps he meant I should hook this one up. It couldn't hurt to try. At worst, I'd get some sparks or perhaps as small electrical fire-- things easily dealt with.

Smiling once more, I shifted a few things, then seized the round-ended cable. Holding the mechanism in one hand, I plugged the cable in with the other. For a moment, nothing happened, and I wondered if it was the right one after all. Then I discovered it wasn't. I didn't get sparks, or a fire.

I got an explosion.  
---

"_Asankahlo!"_

The entire temple seemed to drop what it was doing at those words. Even those who didn't understand Al Bhed (there were some, albeit very few) could tell what it meant by the tone in which it was shouted. _Emergency!_

I myself dropped the reports I was holding, scattering the files across the floor but not bothering to pick them up as I darted for the door. The hallway was teeming with people, but people moving in such practiced, controlled manner that it might have been a fire drill instead of a real emergency.

Commands were being issued and followed, people were asking questions and others answering, all in a deliberately calm way. My heart swelled with pride at my faction members even as I grabbed the nearest one and demanded in harsh Al Bhed to know what happened.

"A machina malfunction, sir," the young worker replied. "In one of the eastern rooms. Caused a bit of an explosion."

"Which room?" I asked through lips that had gone oddly numb. I knew the answer before he gave it.

"The one the team from Home has been working in," the worker said gravely. "A few of our members were injured, and the lady Rikku--"

I didn't wait for him to finish, but tore off down the hallway, shoving people out of my way as I went. The lady Rikku. . . She couldn't have been killed. Everyone was too calm for a death.

She couldn't have been killed. I repeated this to myself in my head over and over again as I hurtled around the corner and practically threw myself into the First Machina Squadron's room.

People were swarming all around in there and I scanned the room hurriedly for Rikku. At the back I caught a glimpse of unnatural blue swirled with purple. Intricate tattoos spiraling up whipcord arms. Brother.

He was kneeling on the ground, cradling a small body in his lap, golden hair spilling all over his legs and the floor. Rikku.

My heart seemed to stopped, and I was barely aware of charging across the room, practically hurling Buddy aside and dropping the floor next to Brother, snatching Rikku from his arms.

She was quite white and still, her eyes closed, her right temple and some of her hair matted with blood. I shook her gently, whispering her name.

"Rikku. . . oh Spira, Rikku. . ." I looked up at Brother. "Is she. . .?"

"She's alive." Brother's face was also quite white, his blue lined eyes wide and bloodshot. He made to take his sister back but I held onto her tightly. "But why do _you_ care, Gippal?"

Have I mentioned that Brother and I are arch enemies? Because we are. _Arch_ enemies. It's a long story, but let's just say our antagonizing one another grew into something more the day he found me kissing his baby sister.

I didn't favor him with an answer to his question, but focussed my attention back on Rikku. Putting a finger on her slim, pale neck, I felt for her pulse. It was slow, faint.

"Why hasn't anyone given her a potion or something?" I demanded, looking back up at Brother. If I hadn't been holding Rikku, I would have been tempted to hit him. What the hell were they thinking? Here she is _bleeding_ and all they're doing is looking at her--

"Ryhcis just went to get one." It was Buddy, speaking slowly and calmly. Both his voice and his words made me want to strangle somebody.

"Ryhcis?" My voice was shaking. "What the hell was he doing here?'

"He heard of the explosion--" Buddy began to explain.

"What caused it?" I demanded, not liking the picture of Ryhcis running into the messed up room, pulling Rikku from the ruins of the machina she now lay near, having her collapse into his arms. . .

"The mechanism," Brother spoke up, and I was surprised to hear tears in his voice. "She was installing it, and something went wrong--" He bent his head, shoulders shaking.

I started to say something, but at that exact moment Ryhcis showed up, holding a first-aid kit.

"Hey," he said, crouching down. "I got this out of the storeroom. There are Al Bhed potions in--"

His words broke off in a rather strangled noise as I practically picked him up and slammed him into the wall.

"You bastard," I hissed at him, holding him in place with my body, my hand around his neck. "You Goddamn bastard. I should kill you right now."

"Gippal," Somebody's hands were on my arm, but I shrugged them off. "Gippal, calm down."

"What did I do, sir?" Ryhcis asked, and I thought I detected a hint of a sneer in his voice. My hand tightened.

"You know damn well what you did," I spat. "You tampered with the mechanism! You made it explode when Rikku tried to install it! You tried to hurt her!"

"Why would I try to hurt my girlfriend?" Ryhcis choked out. The word girlfriend' nearly made me lose control. My hand tightened again, but the hands, which belonged to some mechanic I knew well but couldn't recognize through the angry red haze that seemed cloud my eyes, hauled me off. Ryhcis dropped to the floor, coughing. Had I actually been holding him up off the ground? The thought struck me rather wildly. Cool.

"Sir." The mechanic was talking to me. "Sir, anyone could have tampered with the mechanism. Ryhcis finished with it early evening yesterday, and the rooms have no doors, so someone could have come in at any time during the night if they wished to mess with it. Besides, Lady Rikku inspected it herself this morning. She most likely would have noticed if anything was wrong--"

"No, she wouldn't have." This was Brother, who was standing a little apart from us, looking on like some sort of spectator. "She is good with machina, but she didn't understand this. Shinra was working on it before he left, and I was going to install it. I told her how, since she was so eager to do it herself. . ." He gave a small cough and turned his head away.

I turned my head back to Ryhcis, who had clamored to his feet, twisting my arms in an attempt to loosen the mechanic's (Derrick, I think it was) hold. "You did it," I growled. "I know you did. _That_ was your assignment from Meyn--"

"I wouldn't hurt Rikku!" Ryhcis shouted, his face draining of all color. I noticed then that his eyes were red rimmed and watery, as though he'd been fighting back tears. "I wouldn't hurt her!" And he leapt forward as though he were going to attack me.

In one swift movement I threw off Derrick's hands and punched Ryhcis square in the face, knocking him to the floor. Someone screamed, and I heard Brother swear softly. Derrick made to restrain me again, but again I shrugged him off, turning on my heel and striding over to Rikku.

Buddy was kneeling next to her, having taken the first aid kit that Ryhcis had dropped when I pinned him to the wall, gently coaxing the clear green liquid of an Al Bhed potion down her throat.

She stirred after about the third mouthful, but didn't awaken. I bent down and scooped her up into my arms.

"Thanks," I said to Buddy. "I'll take her to her room."

And without waiting for anyone to respond, I left the room and did just that.

Of course, Brother wouldn't _dare_ allow me in his sister's bedroom with his sister alone (even if said sister was unconscious) so he came as well, and between the two of us we got Rikku laid out on her bed, Brother tipping a few more drips of the Al Bhed potion into her mouth while I cleaned the blood off her head.

Then I took up a seat by the side of her bed, Brother took up a seat at the end, and we settled down to wait. I locked the door, not wanting anyone else (namely Ryhcis) to come in.

Brother was asleep within half an hour, his head slumped forward on his chest, his tears of earlier drying on his drawn and tired face. _He feels guilty_, I thought with sudden insight. _He thinks it's his fault she got hurt_.

"It's Ryhcis' fault," I whispered venomously, turning back to look at Rikku. Her face was still far too white, dark golden lashes laying on pale cheeks, making her looking very young and vulnerable.

I forced the image of Ryhcis, blanching with tearful eyes at the thought of hurting Rikku, from my mind, trying to summon up my anger of earlier. It wasn't hard. All I had to do was remember my conversation with Rikku, how she had shouted at me, and I had shouted back. . .

_You can't casually brush me aside one day, then decide you want me the next, simply because you've found out someone else likes me too, and is actually willing to admit it. I'm not some plaything of yours. You don't own me Gippal!_

I never said anything--

No, you never did. And now it's too late.

I hadn't said anything. I had kissed her (oh, Spira had I kissed her) and then I hadn't said anything. I even gone so far as to laugh and--

My head slumped into my hands and I felt like my insides were twisting around themselves in a horrible, burning mess.

I had convinced myself she was nothing more to me than my childhood friend, convinced myself determinedly because I was afraid that she was becoming something more to me than my childhood friend. She was just Rikku, yes, but just Rikku was turning out to be beautiful and fun and sweet and sexy. . .

I think it was then that I realized I couldn't fool myself anymore. It was then that I realized Rikku wasn't just Cid's little girl, and hadn't been since she had stood up and turned to face me with that gorgeous smile her first day here at Djose. And I had been too stupid to realize it. Or rather, I had been too stupid to admit I'd realized it.

And now it was too late, just as Rikku had said. She was with Ryhcis now (I couldn't suppress a sneer, even though no one was around to see it), and she seemed to want to have nothing to do with me. So where did that leave me?

_Heartbroken_. It was the first word that popped in my head and I actually laughed out loud at the thought, but sobered quickly, afraid of waking Brother. I wasn't heartbroken, but I was hurt.

I laughed again-- a bitter snort. It was my own damn fault after all. I had held Rikku in my arms, even kissed her, and then ruthlessly, selfishly, goddamn fucking stupidly shoved her away.

I raised my head from my hands to look down into Rikku's face once more, remembering how her hair had shone silver in the moonlight, how she had hugged me when I brought her the wires, how she had looked at me so solemnly when I told her about Ryhcis and Meyn, how she had shouted at me, cheeks red and eyes blazing. . .

I realized I was shaking slightly and let out another laugh, ridiculing myself. However, the laugh started sounding rather hysterical and I stifled it quickly.

Reaching out, I took a hold of Rikku's hand, bending the slim, white fingers over my own. She was sleeping now, and I would be there when she woke up.

---

A/N: I hope that's not too out of character for Gippal there at the end. I didn't think it was, really. After all, he has been sort of pining after Rikku this whole time, he's just finally starting to admit it to himself, the stupid lummox. Gotta love him though.  
Thanks again to my lovely reviewers, you're all so supportive and make me feel like so talented. A lot of your comments make me laugh as well, and I'm totally open to suggestions. Wasn't it nice to see Gippal get a little. . . feisty? I know some of you were waiting for that. :)  
Next chapter coming soon, as always. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When I woke up, it was dark.

This was a bit confusing, as the last thing I remembered was a rather bright light, a lot of heat, and a pain in my head. Now, it was dark, I was pleasantly warm, and my head-- well, my head still ached.

I stirred uncomfortably, trying to figure out why it was dark, and realized I was in my room, in my bed. And there was someone sitting in a chair next to me, holding my hand.

"Gippal?" I recognized the dark shape then, picking out the broad shoulders and spiky hair. He jerked at the sound of my voice, glancing around a bit wildly as though he wasn't sure exactly where he was.

"Hey," he said softly after a moment, and the grip on my hand tightened. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I replied, a little confused. I wasn't really fine, but I didn't know why I shouldn't be and I couldn't think of anything else to say. "Why is it all dark?"

"It's nighttime," Gippal replied, putting his other hand on mine as well. "Are you sure you're okay? How's your head?"

"It hurts a little," I said with a shrug, struggling to sit up. Gippal hurried to help me, propping my pillow up against the wall so I could lean against it. There was another slumped figure at the end of the bed. It was snoring.

"Brother," Gippal explained, seeing my gaze. "He wanted to make sure you were okay. You _are _okay, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I was a little bemused by Gippal's concern, and I was still having trouble focussing with the pain and pressure in my head.

"Maybe you should have another potion and let me look at your head." Gippal made to stand up, reaching for the light. "You were bleeding a hell of a lot after that explosion, Cid's Girl."

"Don't!" I reached forward to grasp his arm and wrench it away from the light. The pressure in my head was making me disoriented and confused, but I knew for a fact I did _not_ want him to turn on the light. My head hurt enough as it was. "Gippal. . . the explosion-- is anyone hurt?"

"You," Gippal said, an odd tone to his voice. My fingers dug into his arm urgently, not willing to share in his dark humor at the moment. "And a few mechanics. But nothing serious."

I breathed a sigh of relief, releasing his arm and falling back against my pillow. I shot up a moment later however, as a new thought occurred to me.

"The machina!" I gasped, grabbing Gippal once more. "Was it all ruined?"

"No," Gippal faltered slightly, and it seemed his eye didn't quite meet mine. "Not all of it."

"But some?" Despite myself, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. When I worked on machina, I put my heart and soul into it, and encouraged the people around me to do the same. For the _Tilgmehk_s, our machina was like our children. To find out that some of it had been destroyed through a stupid mistake of my making. . .

"Some, yes," Gippal conceded, and his eye definitely didn't meet mine this time. "After all, it _was_ an explosion, Rikku."

"What caused it?" My voice was a little choked as I was still fighting back tears. "The mechanism, right? Because I installed it wrong."

"I think it was just a malfunction--" Gippal began, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yeah," I sniffed, then, before I could stop myself, burst into tears.

I pressed my hands to my mouth, trying to muffle the noise, ashamed and embarrassed and waiting for Gippal to laugh or make some snide comment. Instead, I heard the gentle rustle of his clothing and felt the mattress sink a little as he sat on the bed. Then he put his arms around me and drew me gently to his chest, murmuring soothingly in my ear.

I clung to him, burying my face in the slightly scratchy fabric of his shirt, trying to stifle my sobs. He smelled like soap and sand and machina oil-- familiar smells that I inhaled deeply, letting them and Gippal's gentle hands and soft words calm me until I was able to pull away and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.

"I'm sorry," I said thickly, sniffing again. I wasn't even really sure why I had been crying, or why I had let Gippal comfort me. I was still just so confused and my head hurt and his arms around me had felt so good. . .

"It's okay," Gippal muttered. "It's understandable that you're upset. Are you okay now?"

"Yes," I mumbled, rather mortified. "Can I. . . will you take me to the room? I want to see the damage for myself."

"Not tonight," Gippal said, a hand still rubbing my back comfortingly. I had never known him to be this gentle. And hadn't we been shouting at each other not too long ago?

"But--"

"Not tonight," Gippal repeated firmly. "I think you should go back to sleep."

He released me, and I fell back against the pillow, keenly aware of the loss of his warmth. He was tucking my blanket around me and my eyes were closing when I remembered something else.

"Ryhcis," I mumbled, forcing my eyes back open. I felt Gippal tense, and he became almost alarmingly still.

"What about him?"

"Has he. . . has he been in to see me?" I didn't want to sound whiny and childish (which, of course, I did) but I was a little hurt at the thought of Ryhcis not bothering to see if I was all right. I mean, he was sort of my boyfriend, wasn't he?

"Oh, yeah he came by a little while ago," Gippal said in an oddly blank voice. "But you were sleeping still."

"Oh." I slumped back against the pillow and was almost asleep again before yet _another_ thought occurred to me. I half sat up. "Gippal. . ."

"What, Rikku?" He sounded only a little exasperated.

"Are you going to stay there?"

He paused for a moment, then said in a voice that was very deep and soft, "I'll stay if you want me to."

"Right there?" I asked, trying to pretend his words and the tone in which he'd said them hadn't sent a shiver through me.

"Well, yes, I--" He broke off as I reached out and smacked him across the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You can't sleep in that!" It was my turn to be exasperated. It was a wooden chair for Spira's sake!

"I'm fine," Gippal began to protest in typical oh-I'm-Gippal-and-I'm-stubborn-as-all-hell-and-don't-listen-to-anyone fashion.

"Gippal," I made my voice as stern and intimidating as possible, just like Pop when he's giving me one of his 'for-you-own-good' lectures. "You can _not_ sleep in a chair. If you're going to stay here, you will either kick Brother out of his chair and make a bed for yourself, or you will sleep on this one with me."

"What?" His expression was one of profound shock, his eye wide and fixed on me disbelievingly.

I erupted into a fit of giggles. "Please," I said, once I could speak. "Do really think that with my head feeling like I went on a massive _Tajycdydeuh_ drinking binge," _Tajycdydeuh_, or Devastation, was an extremely potent Al Bhed liqueur, "and my brother is in the room, that I would ask you to have sex with me?"

I giggled still harder as Gippal flushed. Normally I wouldn't have expected him to get embarrassed over something like that, but he probably had hadn't expected me to say it. "But you _can_ sleep with me."

I scooted over against the wall, indicating that Gippal could lay down next to me. He hesitated.

"But, Rikku, your brother--"

"He won't wake until morning. He's the heaviest sleeper in Spira."

"But--"

"I am not letting you sleep in that chair Gippal," I said sternly. "So either you lay down on this bed or I flying tackle you onto the floor."

He chuckled somewhat ruefully, shaking his head, but conceded, lying down (on top of the covers) next to me.

I shut my eyes and snuggled down comfortably, enjoying the warmth I could feel radiating from his body. We weren't quite touching, but we were very close. I felt safe and secure and drowsy. I was almost asleep for what felt like the billionth time when Gippal spoke.

"What about your boyfriend?"

The flat scorn in the words jerked me awake.

"Won't he mind?" Gippal continued, still soft but still sneering. "What if he were to walk in here right now and see us?"

"It's strictly platonic," I managed to say at last. My voice sounded weak and whiny. To my horror I felt tears pricking in my eyes once more. "I just didn't want you in that chair. . ." Our conversation of earlier kept coming back to me in waves. He'd been jealous. . . he had no right to be jealous. . . my head hurt and I was confused. . . "If you want to leave I don't care."

"I don't want to leave." Gippal's voice had dropped into a soft murmur once more. "I'll stay. Just go to sleep."

He put his hand on my back, rubbing it gently again, his touch making me forget the hurt and tumult within my head, helping me relax. I scooted closer and closed my eyes again, slipping into sleep. And this time, no one interrupted.  
---

The next time I woke up, Gippal was untangling me from his arms, kissing me lightly on the forehead and slipping out the door. Brother was stirring grouchily in his chair, my head was throbbing and I was only slightly less confused.

I pushed myself to a sitting position, then threw back the covers dramatically, determined to step on the floor and stand upright without getting dizzy or falling over. Hearing a muffled curse, I turned to see Brother struggling to throw off my quilt. I giggled a little at the funny sight, then stopped as our eyes met. I looked at him, he looked at me. I blinked, and he threw himself from his chair.

"Rikku!" He shrieked, practically bowling me over as he leapt towards the bed and enveloped me in a crushing bear hug. Utterly surprised, I didn't offer ay form of resistance at first while he babbled in rapid Al Bhed. "Rikku, I'm so sorry, I should have installed the mechanism myself, I didn't mean for you to get hurt, all that blood. . . Are you sure you're okay? Oh, Rikku, it's all my fault--"

"You're suffocating me!" I managed to gasp, pushing at his shoulders. He pulled back, but not very far, scanning my face.

"How are you feeling?" he demanded. "Do you need another potion? Should we call for a doctor?"

"I'm fine," I said, still attempting to push him away. "And it's not your fault. For Spira's sake, Brother, let me go!"

He did finally and I took a deep breath, pushing back my tangled hair. Brother looked at me oddly for a moment before scanning the room. "Where is Gippal?"

"I don't know." That was the truth, and Brother didn't need to know any more than that. I resisted the urge to bite my lip as my thoughts began swirling, but I didn't want Brother to see what confusion Gippal's name had stirred in me.

I put my feet on the cold stone of the floor and attempted to stand up. I was hit at once with a wave of dizziness and my legs became oddly uncooperative, buckling beneath me.

Brother caught me and I sagged against him, nearly knocking him over with my dead weight. He started swearing in Al Bhed again as I fought to stand. Eventually I managed it and Brother cautiously let me go.

"Okay," I said happily, looking down at my legs and hoping they'd be a little more obedient now. "I'm going to go shower." I was after all, in the same clothes I'd been wearing yesterday. I took a single step towards the bathroom, then fell in an undignified heap on the floor.

After a few more tries and a lot of help from Brother, I got all the way to the door. I then shooed my brother away, telling him I could manage a shower without him, and even if I couldn't having his help while I tried would be a bit awkward.

After about thirty minutes, a fair amount of cursing, loads of dizziness and one moment when I thought I was going to hurl, I finished with my shower, brushed my hair (leaving it down to cover the disgusting bruise-slash-cut on my head) and accepted the clothes Brother handed me through the door. Marveling a little at how he had managed to choose a comfortable yet cute outfit, I dressed rather haphazardly then practically fell out of the bathroom, demanding that Brother help me get to the mess hall.

I was forced to lean on him as we walked, because I was still rather dizzy, my head felt heavy and I was very weak. I attributed this to simple lack of food and could not have been happier when we entered the mess hall and the smell of sausages met our noses.

Before I could eat, however, I found myself in the middle of a knot of people, all trying to hug me and ask me if I was all right. The _Tilgmehk_s, who had been waiting for me to arrive. Of course, I had to hug them all back and exclaim over their cuts or bruises and assure them that yes, of course I was all right.

Just as we seemed to be moving towards the direction of the table, a figure cut it's way through the teeming mass surrounding me. It was Ryhcis, looking tall and blond and tan, wearing an enormous smile of utter relief. He scooped me up into his arms and held on to me tightly, muttering breathily and incoherently in my ear. I giggled delightedly, and hugged him back.

When he finally set me down, favoring me with another beautiful smile, I was feeling dizzy and muddled once more, but I wasn't sure if it was from the wound on my head, or the memories of Gippal's arms around me in much the same way only hours before.

"I'm so glad to see you're all right," Ryhcis breathed, his voice barely more than a whisper. Relief and happiness and an odd emotion I couldn't figure out had softened the intensity of his gaze. "I was so worried."

He hugged me again, and I patted his back, sensing that he needed comfort for something I couldn't quite figure out. However, I was the one to pull away this time, giving him a light kiss on the cheek before heading towards the buffet where I could see golden brown pancakes stacked on crisp white plates near bottles of darkly rich syrup.

I was hit by another wave of dizziness and I would have promptly toppled over had it not been for the clamoring group of _Tilgmehk_s that still surrounded me. At once, five different pairs of arms were supporting me, practically carrying me towards the buffet so I could load my plate with food, then escorting me back to the table where they all crowded around me while I devoured it.

There was a lot of talking and laughter and typical light heated _Tilgmehk_-ness, until I had finished my breakfast, looked up, and asked about our room. Then the jokes faltered, the smiles faded and the faces grew grave. No one would meet my eye.

"Is it really that bad?" I asked quietly, feeling my own happiness being syphoned away by this uncommonly grim reaction. I squared my jaw. "I wanna see it."

"Perhaps you should wait until you're stronger--" One mechanic started.

"It doesn't make sense for you to go to work today--"

"You should be resting--"

"We can handle it ourselves--"

But I had pushed away my plate and stood up, grasping wildly for the nearest person to support me. It happened to be Buddy, and I dug my fingers into his arm.

"Take me to the room," I ordered, leaning heavily on him and glaring into the goggles he almost always wore.

"Rikku. . ." Dammit, Buddy would just try and reason with me. He was always being all. . . reasonable.

Ryhcis was on my other side. I whirled around and seized him instead. "Take me to the room," I begged.

He looked pained. "I can't, Rikku. I have to get to work." He bent down and wrapped an arm around my waist, bending low to whisper in my ear. "I'll come and see you later. Please. . . stay safe."

The he had kissed me on the forehead _(just like Gippal) _and walked out of the cafeteria. Now who I could turn to? Someone as desperate and unreasonable as me. I practically fell across the table to grasp at Brother's shirt.

"Take me to the room," I said for the third time, and he complied. After all, he'd spent the whole night in my room, and while he'd been there after the explosion, I don't think he had much time to asses the damage.

It was awful.

I nearly fell over again when we entered the room, but not from any dizziness. The machina I had been working on was a machina no longer, but a twisted hunk of metal, melted into a shapeless mass of jumbled wiring and mutated screws. I felt tears spring to my eyes again at the sight. Damn this head wound, it was making me all weepy.

"_Tysh_," Brother swore softly, releasing me and moving forward. "I didn't realize it was this bad. . ."

Oh, it was bad all right. Really bad. If the explosion had done this to our machina, how had I managed to survive? I began to shake uncontrollably, realizing how lucky I had been. My knees were becoming rebellious again, threatening to buckle without my consent, when one of the _Tilgmehk_s, who had followed me and Brother, went,

"What is that noise?"

We all froze, listening, and then I heard it too. The distinctive babble of voices, but many voices that all seemed to be shouting. It was coming from the front of the temple.

Everyone began moving in that direction. I attempted to follow, stumbling after them. Derrick, the nice mechanic I spoken to before the explosion, offered me his arm. I leaned on it gratefully as the group surged to the temple's front entrance.

There was already quite a crowd in the doorway. We pushed ourselves through and stepped outside. There was an even _larger_ crowd out there, and these were the people that were shouting. I looked around to see what they were shouting at, and was shocked to find it was Gippal.

Why in Spira were all these people holding out microphones and clutching spheres and shouting at Gippal? My eyes narrowed as they focussed on a small figure in front. Shelinda. These people were all reporters.

"Gippal!" One of them was shouting. "What's your involvement with the organization called 'Al Bhed Vun Spira'?"

"I don't have an involve--" Gippal began before another reporter interrupted.

"I heard there was an explosion. What can you tell us about it?"

"Was it an act of retaliation by Yevonites?"

"Retaliation?" Gippal asked, confused. "For what?"

"Are you aware of the explosion that took place this morning at Bevelle?" A reporter practically launched himself at Gippal, holding up a sphere. "Do you think it's connected to the explosion that happened here yesterday?"

"I heard the leader's daughter, Rikku, was killed yesterday," another added.

"Is that true?" one shouted, thrusting a mike at Gippal.

"It most certainly is _not_!" I shouted, unable to help myself. The effect of those simple words was stunning.

Immediately, all the reporters turned away from Gippal and converged on me instead. Suddenly, I found myself bombarded with question, microphones and spheres being shoved in my face.

"Lady Rikku, what caused the explosion?"

"Are you working for Gippal now instead of your father?"

"Did you run away from Home?"

"What do you think of the attack in Bevelle?"

"Do _you_ have any connection with 'Al Bhed Vun Spira'?"

I staggered at the suddenness of it all, the light beaming from the spheres half-blinding me and making my eyes water. The question were fired at me so rapidly that there was no way I could answer even one, let alone them all.

I backed up until I hit the uneven wall of the temple, rather frightened and unsure what to do. The reporters simply came with me, tripping over one another in their haste to be the closest to me, to shout their questions the loudest. I wanted to scream and felt like I was going to faint. I was trapped, and they were surging forward.

Help came then, in the form of the _Tilgmehk_s. They converged upon the reporters just as the reporters had converged on me, forming a solid wall of their own, allowing me to slip away behind them.

My heart nearly bursting with gratitude, I darted in through the temple door, intent on putting as much distance between myself and those crazy reporters as I could. I didn't get very far, however, before I crashed straight into someone and, disoriented as I was already, toppled over.

Strong arms caught me before I hit the floor and hauled me backwards into the temple. I stumbled along blindly for a moment until I was pulled into a shadowy alcove and took a few deep breaths, willing my head to stop spinning. Then I looked up, and Gippal smiled.

"It's mad out there, isn't it Cid's Girl?" he said with a crooked smile.

I didn't say anything, still intent on making sure I did pass out cold at Gippal's feet. He must have sensed that I wasn't exactly feeling so hot because he slid in arm around my waist and helped me down the hallway, heading for his study. I glanced behind us.

"Won't the reporters just come in?" I asked worriedly, fearing slightly for the safety of the _Tilgmehk_s.

"Not if we block them out," Gippal replied simply. "This temple happens to be one of the most fortified buildings in Spira. It's solid rock. If we want to stop people from getting in, we can." He smiled down at me. "It's one of the reasons we chose it."

I smiled back, reassured and Gippal pushed open the door to his study, which we had now reached. I moved inside, then stopped short.

"Ryhcis?"

"Rikku." He moved forward, taking both my hands in his and staring down at me with that intense gaze.

"What are you doing in here?" Gippal asked, closing the door behind us with a little more force than necessary.

"I was looking for you." Ryhcis tore his gaze away from me to look up at Gippal. "Sahden wanted me to find you and inform you about the incident that took place in Bevelle this morning."

"Why isn't he doing it himself?" Gippal asked suspiciously.

"Because he's out front, trying to deal with the reporters," Ryhcis answered easily, before turning to me. "Do you need to sit down?"

I nodded wearily, and he helped me over to one of Gippal's oversize chairs before pulling one out for himself. Gippal sat down across the table from us, glaring at Ryhcis with undisguised animosity.

"Well," he said rather unkindly. "Tell us."

"All right," Ryhcis replied, seeming unperturbed by Gippal's tone. "This morning, three ex-priests of Bevelle were attacked when they went to the temple for a meeting the praetor was holding."

"Baralai--" Gippal interrupted, hands clenching unconsciously on the table.

"Unharmed," Ryhcis said, and Gippal sank back with a sigh of relief. "But the priests were killed. Shot to death."

"By Al Bhed guns?" I asked, remembering the reporter's questions.

"No, by Bevelle ones," Ryhcis said. "People in the temple recognized the sound of the shots. They went running, but an explosion stopped them."

"An explosion?"

"Yes, it destroyed the bodies completely and took out a large section of the temple."

"Does anyone know what caused it?" I asked.

"Explosives," Ryhcis said with a shrug. I giggled. Gippal glared at the both of us.

"Are people blaming it on the Al Bhed?" he demanded, as though it were Ryhcis' fault if they were.

"Not really," Ryhcis said, small lines appearing between his eyebrows as he frowned. "Why?"

"There are about a billion reporters out front," I supplied helpfully. "They just about mobbed Gippal and me, asking about the explosion here and about the one in Bevelle."

"And about Al Bhed Vun Spira," Gippal interjected darkly.

"Really?" Ryhcis interest was polite and cool. Gippal shot him him a withering glare, then moved over to a machina on the wall. Pressing a button, he leaned towards it and barked,

"Sahden, to my office, immediately."

He threw himself back into his chair, staring at the table, apparently deep in thought. I didn't want to break him out of his reverie, but I had to ask.

"Who's Sahden?"

"He's a friend of mine," Gippal explained, looking up from the table to give me a brief smile. "He helped me start the faction. You might recognize him Rikku, he used to be one of your father's advisors."

I scrunched up my face, trying to remember any advisor by the name of Sahden. I had come up with a vague image of a weathered face and smiling eyes, and oddly, the thought of chocolate, when the door opened and an elderly Al Bhed stepped in.

For one wild moment, I thought it was Meyn. This Al Bhed, however, looked less shrewd and more fatherly, and smiled at me with easy acceptance. His skin was brown and leathery, no doubt from years of living in the harsh desert climate, his eyes pale and faded, but he had an air of wisdom and geniality about him that made me warm to instantly.

I liked him even more when he spotted me and exclaimed in apparent surprise,

"Lady Rikku! Why, I hardly recognized you!" He spoke Al Bhed with quiet dignity, his voice soft and slightly raspy, but pleasantly so. "The last time I saw you, you were fourteen years old and had built your own machina that attacked your father and nearly took his nose off." I giggled at that, remembering the incident well. "And now, you're building your own machina yet again, but you've grown into a beautiful young woman!"

He smiled at me, and I smiled back, utterly flattered.

"I don't suppose you remember me?" he asked as Gippal pulled out a chair for him.

"You used to sneak me chocolates," I said, his friendly face and gentle voice jogging my memory. "Because my dad didn't think I needed the extra sugar, but I loved them so much. You used to say 'sweet girls deserve sweet things'."

"And so they do." Sahden turned to Gippal, smiling in the same paternal way. "Now son, what was it you wanted? I assume Ryhcis told you all about what happened at Bevelle?"

"Yes," Gippal said, casting Ryhcis another glare, but a very small one. All his attention was focussed on Sahden. "But I wanted to discuss it with you. Why do you think those priests were shot?"

"I don't know," Sahden answered truthfully. "People are thinking some Al Bhed may have done it, perhaps in anger at past wrongs or something."

"But we had our own explosion," Gippal cut in with righteous anger. "Are people blaming that on the Yevonites?"

"Some, but the Al Bhed are more likely to be blamed for that one too." He shrugged, and his eyes grew sad. "People naturally tend to suspect us. Old prejudices, you know."

"I know," Gippal sighed, falling back in his chair. "But isn't it possible someone wanted to attack both the Al Bhed and Yevon? Or that our 'attack' was merely a machina malfunction?"

"That's what it seems like to me," I put in. "The machina didn't explode due to a bomb or anything." I couldn't stop a faint flush from creeping into my cheeks. "I just installed the mechanism wrong."

"We don't know for sure," Ryhcis said comfortingly, twining his fingers with mine. "It could have been direct sabotage."

"But until we know for certain," It was a wonder Gippal's face didn't hurt with all the scowling his was doing, "We pass it off as normal, if unfortunate, malfunctioning."

"Right," Sahden agreed with a brisk nod of his head. "I'll pass the message on to the reporters when I tell them to clear out. I say that we don't know what happened in Bevelle, and we have no affiliation with Al Bhed Vun Spira."

"Thanks," Gippal said, favoring the older man with a grateful smile.

"Don't mention it," Sahden said, smiling back. He stood up regally, then looked at Ryhcis. "Come on," he said. "You and I should get back to work. It was nice seeing you again, Lady Rikku."

"You too." I smiled at him before turning my attention to Ryhcis, who still had a hold of my hand. He bent down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, promising to see me at dinner. Then he and Sahden left, leaving me alone with Gippal.

There was an awkward silence. I felt myself slowly blushing. Finally, Gippal spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

Instead of putting me at ease, this question made me blush even more, remembering how Gippal and I had 'slept' together, and how I had cried into his chest, and how he had held me so gently.

"Fine," I said meekly.

"Good." Silence fell again.

"I'm sorry about last night," I said at last. "I was kind of confused, and my head hurt. I didn't mean to go all weird on you like that. I'm. . . I'm sorry."

"I'm not."

I froze at the sound of this quiet, sincere confession. I may have been looking at the table in profound embarrassment, but Gippal, I could tell, was staring right at me.

"You don't always have to be so strong, Rikku." His voice was very soft. "Sometimes it's okay to let people see you're just as confused as they are." 

I couldn't seem to find anything to say to that, so I just sat there, staring at my hands. Gippal got out of his chair and moved around the table until he was standing right next to me.

"Still, I'd rather it was me than Ryhcis."

"Gippal--" I looked up at him now, torn between anger and an odd desire to start crying again.

"I warned you about him once, Rikku." His eye bore into mine, flat and cold and serious, but with a fire behind it that threatened to break out and consume me. "And I told you to be careful. Now, with all this explosion and murder and Al Bhed Vun Spira business, I'm going to tell you again." He leaned down until his face was level with mine, mere inches away. "Be careful, Rikku. I don't want to see you hurt again."

And again, I was at an utter lack for words, and could only stare into that beautiful eye. I thought Gippal was going to kiss me, and while I knew I should be shoving him away, I couldn't move. My heart was beating incredibly fast, and I had that feeling in my stomach that you get when you miss a step going down the stairs. The room spun slightly and I felt like I was falling--

A knock on the door made both Gippal and I jump. Gippal pulled away from me while I turned my head and ducked behind my hair, desperately trying to control my blush. Gippal shouted "Enter!" and the young mechanic Derrick came in.

"The reporters are gone sir," he said. "Sahden managed to chase them off after he released his statement. I think they'll be back though."

"Of course they will," Gippal sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. "Thanks for telling me Derrick. Are you going back to your workroom now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Will you require any additional service? I sure there are some workers who'd could be spared to help with the clean up."

"Thank you, sir, but we'll manage on our own." Derrick looked at me, still sitting as I was, in the chair. "Will you be joining us Lady Rikku?"

"No--" Gippal started, casting me a glare that looked exactly like one Pop might use.

"Yes," I said, jumping up and ignoring the throbbing in my head.

"Rikku--" Gippal began again as Derrick added his own "If you're not well enough--"

"I'll be fine." I overrid them both, striding past Gippal towards the door. "I want to help." And with that I wrenched the heavy stone slab open and practically fled into the hallway.

---  
A/N:  
Real quick: Ryhcis I pronouce like Rie (ryhmes with 'die') sis. Rie-sis. Ryhcis. I think the 'h' is silent. And I'm never sure when it's possesive should I do Ryhcis' or Ryhcis's? That's the trouble with names ending in 's'. :)  
Thanks to all the fantastic reviewers whose reviews just get better and better as the chapters go on. I get such a thrill when I open my e-mail and see them, and love reading them all, especially the long ones. You guys never fail to make me smile!  
(And if you're reading but not reviewing, well. . . there's nothing I can do about but offer a desperate plea for you to also soothe my ego and offer me a little feedback.)  
Still, thanks to everyone, readers and reviewers alike!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry for the long wait in updating, but I had an _awful_ time with this chapter. It just wouldn't go right. There are still parts of it I don't like, but I got tired of rewriting it. There's a scene with Meyn I must have deleted and changed at least five times.  
I'm feeling a little discouraged as well, in reading some other Rikku/Gippal stuff. It seems my plot is no where near as original as I thought, and I'm afraid the story is rapidly losing it's interesting-ness. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. Anyway, this chapter really posed a problem for me. If you think Gippal is OOC, feel free to tell me. He was NOT cooperating and getting IN character, so I'll blame it all on him. :)

Chapter 9

I can remember as a kid being unable to understand the expression 'lost in thought'. There was one instance that stands out in my mind in particular, where my mom was standing in our kitchen staring off into space and I asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing honey," she'd replied. "I was just lost in thought."

"But how can you be lost in thought," I'd asked in juvenile confusion. "When you're standing right there?"

My mom had laughed then, favoring me with one of her beautiful smiles. "Thought isn't a place, honey, it's a something you do with your mind. Lost in thought just means you got so busy with thinking you forgot about everything else."

I had wrinkled my nose, both eyes (that was back when I had two) scrunching up in distaste. "It doesn't sound like fun."

My mom had laughed again, then cajoled me into helping her with the dishes.

I remembered that conversation with a ironic little smirk now as I sat in my office, lost in thought.

Rikku was gone. She left with Derrick just a little while ago, after our. . . conversation. She had apologized for the night before, and I'd been a little hurt. I didn't want her apologizing for the night before.

Having Rikku break down and sob into my chest certainly had surprised me, but it hadn't been displeasing. The last time I had heard her cry was when she was seven years old and Brother broke her favorite toy machina. She'd broke into loud wails, then promptly punched him in the face.

She didn't even cry when we split up, I remembered suddenly. Nor when I left for the Crimson Squad. Having her do so last night had been a bit of a shock, but I hadn't minded.

Even though I knew she could take care of herself, I had always enjoyed playing her protector when we were kids. She'd follow me around in the desert and I would convince her the sand ants near us were poisonous to get her shrieking in terror when they tried to crawl on up her legs. Then I'd kill them easily with my foot or a stick and claim I'd saved her life. She usually ended up hitting me the next day when she found out there were no such things as poisonous sand ants, but I liked thinking she had been replying on me to protect her. Like a knight in shining armor, I believe I once said. I got to fulfill that role-- to a certain degree-- again last night. And not just once either.

The memory of her demanding that I not sleep in the hard chair put a brief smile on my face. I'd almost ruined it with a comment about Ryhcis, but I hadn't been able to control myself. I felt absolutely awful when I nearly made her cry again, so I said I didn't want to leave and gently coaxed her to sleep, forcing Ryhcis from my mind. She had asked about him, wondering if he had come to see her. I told her that he did, but she'd been asleep. I didn't mention that I wouldn't let him into the room and told him to go the hell away and not come back.

This morning I had woken up in a position that I first thought _had_ to be a dream. Even now, I find it hard to believe l had actually woken up in Rikku's bed, the slim Al Bhed curled trustingly in my arms, her body warm and soft against mine, her face peaceful and her breathing slow and even.

Of course then I remembered where I was and felt I'd better get out before Brother woke up. I hadn't been able to resist giving Rikku a light kiss on the forehead before letting myself out of her room, and heading towards my own. I had taken a shower, dressed, and was about to go back and check on Rikku when a faction member came and told me about the reporters.

Damn those reporters! I let my head sink into my hands as my thoughts turned from almost pleasantly confused to just plain confused. I didn't know what to make of any of it-- the murders at Bevelle, Al Bhed Vun Spira, Ryhcis. . .

That had been the reason Rikku had practically run screaming from my office not too long ago. I had told her to be careful again, told her I didn't want anything to happen her, then leaned closer, my eye fixed on her face, my lips almost painfully close to hers-- and then Derrick had walked in.

I sighed, staring through my fingers at the floor, where the files I had dropped upon hearing the _Asankahlo_ call still lay scattered about. That call had announced the explosion which I was still sure Ryhcis had something to do with.

He _had_ seemed generally and truly upset about the fact Rikku had been hurt, though, so I wasn't sure exactly what his involvement was, but I knew it was something. I refused to give him up as a suspect yet, for a number of reasons.

One, he had the opportunity. Two, he'd had that suspicious conversation with Meyn. Three, he was Rikku's boyfriend I and I just generally didn't like him, and would have loved to prove him guilty and see Rikku dump him.

I sighed again, not even bothering to try and bring my thoughts to order. They were spinning about so wildly that they stopped making any sense at all, and I had a sudden desire be outside. My thoughts turned to Home with the scorching sun and the shifting sands, the harsh climate that we Al Bhed had sought refuge in for so long. I wished I was there then, with the hot wind blowing the sand, making it sting my skin, and Rikku standing at my side, laughing into the sun and smiling at the world.

With nearly frantic desperation now, I darted towards the door, throwing it open and practically bolting into the hallway.

Derrick had said Sahden dismissed the reporters, but I decided to take a side door out of the temple just in case. There was a little clearing there that was peaceful and secluded, and seemed a good place to sit and gather my thoughts.

Just before I entered the quiet glade, however, someone stepped in front of me and I barreled into them, nearly knocking them over.

It was Meyn.

"Hello, sir," he said pleasantly, despite the fact that I had almost knocked him off his feet. "It's nice to see you again, despite the circumstances. I was sorry to hear about the explosion."

I made a noncommittal noise in my throat. "I suppose you heard about the one in Bevelle then too?" I asked, unable to help my voice from sounding rather hostile.

"Ghastly business," Meyn replied in his old fashioned sounding Al Bhed. "And to think, Al Bhed Vun Spira has been accused by some as being the cause behind it." He shook his head sadly. I just looked at him. After a few moments of awkward silence he coughed slightly. "So. . . have you thought anymore about my proposal?"

"Yes." I had read the papers Meyn left for me. They went on and on about Al Bhed Vun Spira's purpose-- to dispel the old prejudices against our race, assimilate the Al Bhed into more of Spira than just Bikanel, and share our inventions and ideas with the world-- but they said little about their methods. "But my answer still stands."

"Perhaps the attack on Bevelle has had an effect on you as well?" Meyn asked with a sly smile that made me want to smack him across the face. "You don't want to announce your support with a group that is being suspected of murder?"

"Perhaps." I refused to be intimidated. "But the answer is no, regardless."

"I'm regret to hear that," Meyn said with one of his annoying bows. "And I hope you may yet change your mind. This would have been a very good time for Spira to learn of your support. But maybe some other time."

I made another indistinct noise in my throat, and my eye narrowed slightly. I wasn't going to give the slightest inch to this guy. Perhaps he realized this, for he bowed again and moved off towards the front of the temple.

I stared after him unhappily for a bit, my thoughts still wild and confused, but now moving sluggishly as if I'd been drugged. That put a brief smile on my face as I wondered if drugs might be the answer to my problems. One can't be confused if they're high, right?

Of course, I had responsibilities and all, being the leader of the faction, and there were lots of people who relied on me, so getting high off drugs might not be the wisest choice. Besides, the one time I had tried anything remotely like that I had vomited so much that I nearly passed out. So drugs were out. Alcohol, on the other hand. . .

Chuckling ruefully at myself, I moved back into the temple, no longer in the mood for sitting alone with my thoughts. I wanted to be with people, to talk with them and laugh with them and have them take my mind of things.

Of course, the one person I wanted to be with more than anyone was Rikku, because I know she could have me laughing in no time. She'd smile as I teased her, than retort with a comeback of her own, to which I would possibly respond to by tugging on her hair, and she'd try and kick me, and I'd pretend it didn't hurt. . .

_Rikku's working_, I told myself firmly. _She's busy, and you'd do best to leave her alone. She doesn't want to see you now anyway_.

I paused as I realized what I had just said to myself. The knowledge was like a physical blow. Rikku _didn't_ want to see me, did she? She had made that quite plain when she'd fled from my office earlier, no doubt with plans to hook up with her 'boyfriend' this evening. He'd been all "Until dinner, Rikku."

Ugh, just the thought of his smooth voice and elegantly proper Al Bhed made me tense up in anger. At least he had said "Rikku" and not "sweetie" or "darling". If he'd used any sort of pet name I would have been forced to punch him.

Noting that my hands had clenched themselves into fist of their own accord, I diverted my course once more. Mingling with people suddenly didn't seem like such a good idea. I felt I'd be much better off distracting myself with work, and so I headed back to my study.

Rikku didn't want to see me. I wouldn't go see her. I didn't need to check up on her. I'd see her at dinner. I could wait that long. I _would_ wait that long.

"No problem," I said to myself as I entered my study again and finally started picking up those files. "No problem," I said, but I lied.  
---

I spent the afternoon in my study, sorting files and signing papers and writing reports and doing all the things I'm supposed to do as a leader but usually put off because I hate doing them. I prefer the hands on stuff that comes with being a leader. The paper work, I can do without.

I suffered it for a whole afternoon, however. And then I went to dinner. Then, I saw Rikku.

She was next to Ryhcis, of course. His arm was draped across the back of her chair and she was smiling at him. I felt that odd burning sensation rise within me once more. It was like anger, only different. Deeper. I didn't want her smiling for anyone but me.

Brother was on her other side, gesturing wildly as he related what was no doubt some very loud and incomprehensible anecdote involving him as the dashing hero. Rikku was looking at him and laughing, hitting him on the back of the head if one of his flailing hands came too close to her. The burning feeling faded, but did not disappear. I didn't want her laughing for anyone but me.

I made my way over to a table completely across the room from hers, making sure to swagger and smile like usual. I winked at a few different girls, but my heart wasn't in it. I couldn't help but think that I should have just stayed in my office. Rikku was obviously fine. She didn't need me.

I remained quite uncharacteristically gloomy and depressed-- but trying not to show it-- until the end of dinner when I saw Rikku get up. Ryhcis made a move to help her but she pushed him away, clearly telling him to stay and enjoy his meal. He stood up anyway, bent down, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. I felt the burning feeling well up inside of me again. This time it was so strong I momentarily zoned out in a kind of red, burning haze. I was barely aware of my hands fisting on my legs under the table, my jaw tightening, preoccupied with thoughts of storming over there, wrenching Ryhcis away from Rikku and punching him until I maimed his pretty boy face beyond recognition.

The kiss was quick and innocent, but to me it seemed to last a lifetime. Then Ryhcis was sitting down once more, and Rikku was saying something him with a smile. Then she turned and walked out of the mess hall, long gold hair swinging behind her. Immediately I got to my feet and followed.

Either she didn't hear me, or she didn't care, because she didn't acknowledge my presence at all as I walked behind her through the twisting hallways. I thought for a moment she was headed towards her workroom, but she turned aside, and I felt a twinge of dismay, sure she was going to her sleeping quarters.

She turned again, proving me wrong on both accounts, and pushed open the same side door I had fled through before. I followed quickly, and saw her disappearing into the secluded glade. I paused for a moment, examining my actions.

I had followed her without even thinking, intent on seeing her alone, on talking to her. Why? I missed her. I missed our playful banter and our easy joking. I wanted to make sure she was okay. I wanted to make sure she wasn't upset about what happened earlier. I wanted her away from Ryhcis. I wanted. . . her.

The thought struck me forcefully, and without warning. For a moment, I just stood there, mind blank. Then everything began to make sense. Flashes began to shoot through me head like a film strip.

Me, kissing Rikku. Rikku kissing me. Rikku hugging me. Me, turning her down. Rikku, so upset. Me, yelling at her for kissing Ryhcis. Me, jeal--

I shoved the thoughts away as forcefully as I could manage, even going so far as to hiss a little "no!" out loud because I was so intent on denying what my brain was telling me. I wasn't ready to accept what it was saying. I wouldn't accept it.

I could still talk to Rikku, though. As a friend. Just as a friend. Because I was worried about her. Gippal to Rikku, nothing more. I wasn't ready for it to be more. It _couldn't_ be more. It wasn't more. It wasn't.

Taking a deep breath, I rounded some trees and brought a smug little smile to my face, as if I knew all the answers. Rikku was sitting on a tree stump at the opposite side of the clearing. The setting sun was behind her, giving her a sort of unearthly glow.

"Hey, Cid's Girl," I said, trying to keep my voice as normal as I could. Rikku jumped a little at the sound of my voice and rose somewhat unsteadily to her feet.

"Gippal," she stated, looking at me with wary eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay," I said with a carefully nonchalant shrug.

"Consideration, from Gippal?" Rikku said with mock surprise, echoing her words of her first night with a tentative smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

"You seemed a little upset earlier," I continued. Suddenly, I didn't want to engage in our customary playful teasing and jokes. I wanted to talk to her seriously instead.

"Yeah, maybe." She sighed, but soon broke out in a cheerful smile. Irrepressible, as always, she giggled. "Just disappointment that you saved me before I could tell Shelinda exactly where she could put her microphone."

I laughed at those words, both because they were funny and because I felt a happy glow that she thought I had 'saved her'.

We fell silent, and Rikku looked away, tucking her arms around her in a gesture that was very young and endearing. The desire to protect her flared up, and I wished it were my arms around her instead.

"I asked Ryhcis about that Meyn guy, you know," Rikku said at last, startling me. That was not what I had expected to hear. "And he said he's just an old friend. He's not a member of Al Bhed Vun Spira. Ryhcis, I mean. The only thing he's ever been a member of is your faction."

I nodded at that, not sure what to say. Her words didn't change my suspicions about Ryhcis in the slightest. She glanced up at me, trying to gauge my reaction. I met her eyes with mine.

"Do you love him?"

It was her turn to look surprised now, but I'm not sure I looked much different. After all, I had no idea where the words had come from. I'd just blurted them out without thinking. She looked away from me again, staring at the ground.

"Rikku?" I asked, thinking her upset. Her face has become unusually troubled and unhappy. I took a step nearer to her. She continued to look at the ground, and I thought she wasn't going to answer. I opened my mouth to apologize, but the words that came out were not anywhere close to 'I'm sorry'.

"Do you?" I demanded softly.

"I--" It seemed she was going to answer me after all. Her voice was small and childish sounding. "I. . . I don't know."

Those words left me feeling inexplicably lighthearted on the inside, despite the fact that my face creased in a frown.

"You don't know?"

Rikku shook her head, still staring at the ground. I remembered our moonlight conversation, and the question she had asked me.

"Because you've never been in love?"

She nodded this time, adding a little shrug of her small shoulders.

"A friend told me once. . ." Her voice was soft, hesitant. "That love is like falling. That you know you're in love because it feels like falling off a cliff-- a free fall without any sort of harness or protection."

I thought for a moment about that, a small smile tugging at my lips. I wondered if Yuna had told her that. It sounded like typical girly romantic drivel to me, but perhaps there was some truth to it.

"Do you agree?" Rikku asked, looking up at me at last, luminous green eyes wide.

I shrugged, not willing to give a definite answer. I regretted it when Rikku looked away again, her arms tightening around herself. Impulsively, I reached forward, taking both her hands in mine, causing her to look into my eye once more.

"I've never really been in love before, either," I admitted quietly. Her eyes widened slightly, and I grinned crookedly. "Surprise you?"

"A bit," Rikku said, smiling back at me.

I drank in the sight for a few minutes before speaking again. "When you're with Ryhcis--" It was my turn to look away now. "Do you feel like you're falling?"

I glanced up at her surreptitiously to see her shrug again. "I. . ." She seemed to be struggling for words. "I. . .I. . ."

I felt another, swooping sensation in my stomach as she stuttered, her hands tightening on mine. If she had said right away that yes, she loved Ryhcis, I would probably have left in discouragement already. But she wasn't saying it. It didn't seem she _could_ say, nor was going to.

I took another step closer, drawing her into my arms, pressing her small, lithe body against my own. She continued to stare up at me, but she wasn't resisting. I bent down to put my lips next to her ear.

"You don't love him," I whispered. A shiver went through Rikku, her eyes fluttered closed, and her arms closed around me almost convulsively. She was still at a loss for words.

"I. . . I. . . I don't know," she whispered again. I slid my hand up her back, feeling the contrast of her taught muscles in her small frame. I knew she could be as hard as steel when she wanted to, but she felt as delicate as a daisy in my arms.

"Gippal. . ." My name was little more than a breath on her lips. I twined silky strands of golden hair around the fingers of one hand while I kept the other firmly at her waist, holding her close to me. "Gippal, please. . ."

I nuzzled her neck, drinking in the intoxicatingly mixed smell of her-- like metal and flowers. Like Rikku herself. My hand tangled further in her hair, and I pressed her still closer, careful not to crush her slender body.

"Gippal. . ." she said again. "Gippal, please don't make this harder for me."

"What?" I asked, hardly hearing her. I could feel her trembling against me, and my lips curled in a smile against her neck.

"Don't make this harder. . ."

I pulled back at the quiet desperation in her voice, searching her eyes which she had forced open once more. I saw worry and guilt and nervousness and anticipation, and something else, something deeper and stronger and more beautiful--

Before I knew what I was doing I had pressed my lips to hers, dropping my hand from her hair to wrap both arms fully around her, holding her against me as if I'd never let go.

Rikku gave a little shuddering sigh against my lips, but her arms had tightened around my waist as well, hands splayed flat against my back. And she was defiantly kissing me back.

I don't know how long we stood there, kissing one another slowly and deeply, oblivious to all else but each other. Nothing short of an explosion could have distracted us from out lips gently pressing, hands softly stroking, pulses racing wildly as we kissed and kissed again.

After what seemed like an eternity that lasted only a few rapid heartbeats, or a few rapid heartbeats that lasted an eternity, Rikku tore her mouth away from mine, gasping for breath. My head dropped down onto her shoulder. I wasn't breathing too regularly either, and it was impossible to tell who was shaking harder.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Rikku didn't answer at first, just continued to tremble and shudder in my arms. I continued to hold her, feeling that without my support she might have fallen over. "I shouldn't have done that."

"No," Rikku breathed, and I don't know if she was agreeing or disagreeing. She pushed away from me, straightening and sweeping back her hair. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright. "_I'm_ sorry. I--"

She turned her face away from me, but not before I spotted the tears in her eyes.

"Rikku--" I reached out to grab her shoulders but she stepped back, looking like a frightened mouse. I dropped my hands, feeling utterly horrible. "I'm sorry," I muttered again, not knowing what else to say.

Rikku bit her lip as she looked at me, but didn't seem to have anything to add. I couldn't bear the awkward silence for very long.

"Well," I said in a determinedly cheerful voice despite the fact that I felt like tearing my insides out and burning them, "Aren't you going to hit me?"

Rikku gave a watery little giggle and shook her head.

"Gippal. . ." her mouth worked, but no other words came out. After a moment she touched me lightly on the arm, smiling at me tremulously from beneath her lashes, then turned and darted from the clearing, hurrying back towards the temple.

I watched her go, drawing on all the willpower I possessed to stop myself from charging after her and drawing her into my arms once more. I sank down onto the grassy carpet of the clearing with a sigh instead, putting a shaking hand over my eye.

I kept it clenched shut for a long time after Rikku had left, but nothing could erase the image nor the feel of her in my arms, soft and willing. She had been willing. She had kissed me back.

That thought put a smile on my face, even though my mind had returned once again to it's wild wheeling, and I was even more confused than I had been before.

-----

A/N: Well thank goodness that's over. Once I got them to the clearing it went all right, but the ending. . . snarls at story  
Haven't you ever had that feeling where you're bored, and you keeping going from activity to activity, but you don't stay interested in anything for long, and pretty soon you're right back bored again? That's what I was thinking with Gippal in the beginning, going from his study, to outside, etc.  
The next chapter gets a little more. . . dramatic. I'm worried it will be a bit over the top for this story, but whatever. I too far in to back out now. I'm guessing a few more. Chapters that is, like three at the most.  
Thanks to the reviewers, one and all. You make me feel so special and talented, when I don't deserve it. :)


	10. Chapter 10

I know! I'm horrible and it's been FOREVER. Like years, I think since the last update. Everyone was so sweet, thanking me for updating so regularly, then I go and pull that. I've bet all my readers hate me now, huh:)  
Anyway, there was this big thing, and some other stuff that prevented me from updating in a while. Chapter 10 was partially written since pretty much then end of Chapter 9, but I just recently got around to finishing it. Chapter 11 has got a good start, and I swear I will try try try try TRY to get this finished soon. I think it will have 12 to 13 chapters.  
Much love to everyone, and I'm so sorry. Life got in the way. :)

Chapter 10

I swore loudly and violently as I shocked myself for the third time that morning. I had already sustained two minor burns, and one very nasty looking cut that refused to stop bleeding.

Brother, who was working next to me, looking up in surprise. It was usually him who was spouting profanity and throwing things.

"Rikku," he said bemusedly. "Why in Spira are you so distracted today?"

"Nothing," I said. "I mean, no. I-- I'm not. I'm not distracted."

Brother gave me a look shrewd look that I had no idea he was capable of making. "Did--" He coughed, faltering a bit on the words. "Did something happen last night? Between you and--"

"No!" I practically screamed, and accidentally dropped a wrench on my foot. "Not at all! Nothing!"

Brother continued to scrutinize me, but then seemed to come to the conclusion that I was telling the truth. "Good," he said firmly. "Not that I'd think you'd sleep with Ryhcis, but--"

"What?" My voice got, if possible, even louder. It was my turn to look bewildered. "Ryhcis?"

"Yes." Brother looked up at me with furrowed eyebrows, suspicion creating deep lines on his face. "Who did you think I meant?"

"No one. Never mind," I mumbled, and turned back to my work. I had thought he was talking about Gippal, of course. Not that anyone knew what had gone on between us in the glade last night, but my mind still lingered on the incident, on Gippal soft but firm lips, his strong but gentle arms tightening around me, causing me to tremble uncontrollably with--

I dropped the wrench again as my hand began to shake and let out another fierce litany of swear words.

"Rikku. . ." this time it was Buddy, looking at me with that I knew was gentle concern, despite the fact that I couldn't see his eyes behind the goggles he wore. "Perhaps you need a break."

"Lunch starts in an hour," I replied, flashing him a smile that I hoped didn't look as fake as it felt. "I'll take a break then. Now, hand me that drill there."

I reached out my hand but Buddy didn't move. "No, Rikku," he said in his deep voice. "You take a break now."

"Buddy--" I gave him my best glare, but he didn't respond. I changed it to my best pout (the one that _always_ works with Pops) but that didn't get a response either. I turned to Brother and tried both expressions on him, certain one would work, but he turned his head away and stoically ignored me. Finally I threw down my tools in a very childish gesture and stalked out of the room.

I decided to go outside, because if I was taking a break I might as well enjoy it, and, while I had grown quite found of the temple, I often found myself feeling a little closed in and longed to see the sky.

I stood under it now, in front of the temple (I _wasn't_ going to the glade) letting the morning sun shine down in it's full brilliance upon my upturned face. I shut my eyes against the scorching brightness of it, letting the yellow-white light dazzle the darkness behind my eyelids instead. Wishing it would dazzle the darkness inside, as well.

I laughed to myself then, laughed at how very teenage-angst-novel that sounded. I opened my eyes again to take in the simple beauty of the unblemished blue sky, thinking that, despite it's teenage-angst-novel-ness, it was sort of true.

I mean, I didn't have _darkness_ inside, for Spira's sake (come on, I was still Rikku. When was I ever dark?), but I certainly had confusion. And guilt, and worry, and the memory of Gippal's hands and-- oh, Spira-- mouth on me.

Suddenly shivering, despite the warmth of the sun, I moved over to the bridge and clamped my hands on the railing. I nearly fell off the edge a second later when I heard someone speak my name.

Ryhcis was walking towards me from the temple. Beautiful Ryhcis, with his tan skin and pale blond hair and so very _very_ intense eyes. Body slim and willowy and graceful, movements quietly assured. So different, yet so similar, to Gippal-- tall and muscular, spiky hair the color of straw, one good eye that flashed with anger and sparked with humor, movements blatantly and obnoxiously confident.

Ryhcis was the sweet wine sauce that you only got once or twice a year because it was so expensive, but which you absolutely adored and listed as your favorite food. Gippal was the cheap but spicy salsa that burned your tongue and gave you indigestion, but that you ate anyway because tasted so damn good.

Oh Spira. I just said Gippal tasted good. He did taste good. And now I'm admitting it!

Something of my wild thoughts must have shown on my face, because Ryhcis moved forward and ever-so-gently touched me on the arm.

"Rikku?" he said in the lovely, velvety voice of his. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine," I replied, forcing another smile. "No reporters."

Ryhcis smiled shortly at that, his long fingers moving to encircle my wrist in a gesture that was slightly possessive but infinitely tender. "Is your injury still bothering you?"

I had almost forgotten about my wounds. Al Bhed potions were miracle drugs. "No, they're not. I mean, I'm fine."

"You talked to your father recently, didn't you?" Ryhcis asked, turning to place a hand on the railing like I was doing, keeping his other on my wrist.

"Yeah." I had actually talked to Cid just that morning, on the Commspheres. "He was his normal self-- ranting and raving and fully determined to get in his airship and fly on over here. He would have too, except for the fact that he's the leader of the Al Bhed and he's got responsibilities and his advisors wouldn't let him."

Ryhcis smiled, but his grip on my wrist had tightened slightly. "Did you tell him not to come?"

"Yeah," I said, with a little laugh. "No sense in having him fly all the way over here just to see that I'm perfectly fine. He'd show up all red in the face, shouting and blustering, and I have to calm him down." I laughed again. "And by calm down I mean shout back. And then Brother get all into it too, and--"

I happened to glance up at Ryhcis face then and was shocked by what I saw. "Ryhcis!" I squealed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, forcing a smile and deliberately erasing all traces of the emotions I had seen. For a second there, his face had been twisted into a kind of tortured grimace, like the one I always used to wear whenever I had to clean my room or take a bath or do any of the things I hated as a child.

For a second there, his eyes, normally so intense, had been deep with sorrowful. For a second there, I had caught them looking at me with something very akin to regret. For a second there, I had thought I'd seen them shimmer with tears.

"Rikku," Ryhcis mumbled, removing his hand from the rail and sliding it up my arm, turning me more fully to face him. "Rikku. . ."

He leaned down and kissed me, gentle and tender and sweet as always, but with a sort of insistence behind, a sort of plea. His hands still held my arms, preventing me from wrapping them around him. I wasn't sure I wanted to, however.

The kiss felt good, don't get me wrong, and Ryhcis was wonderful and everything, but I kept seeing Gippal's face in my mind, feeling _his_ arms holding me close, tasting _his_ lips on mine.

Ryhcis spared me from deciding what to do by removing his lips from mine and taking a step closer to me so that our bodies were pressed firmly against one another.

"Rikku," he whispered in my ear, and the grip of his hands suddenly tightened alarmingly. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

With an incredibly painful jerk, my arms were wrenched up behind my back, held in firmly in place by an iron grip from the hands that had once stroked my hair so tenderly.

"Ryhcis," I gasped. "What are you--"

He didn't answer, but whirled me around, one hand keeping my arms pinned behind me, the other snaking around to cover my mouth.

"Please," he said in that velvety voice of his, as though simply asking me not to eat the last cookie or something. "Don't scream."

"Don't scream? What the hell are you doing? Let go of me!" That's what I would have shouted, had his hand not been over my mouth. I tried, but all that came out was a lot muffled squeaks. So I attempted to plunge my elbow into Ryhcis' stomach.

No go on that one either. Not only did he have rock hard abs (something I _had _noticed before, just in passing), but he was holding me in a way that made any sort of movement difficult. All my struggles did was reopen the cut I had on my arm, making sticky blood snake down my arm and drip onto the bridge.

I began to panic slightly as Ryhcis started dragging me backwards, across the bridge. First I kicked out with my legs, thrashing wildly, then dropped to a dead weight the moment he stopped to try and contain me.

"Rikku," his voice was still soft,and slightly pleading. "Don't be like this."

The one hand moved away from my mouth and I took the opportunity to suck in a great lungful of air (he'd been making it rather difficult for me to breathe), preparing to scream. Before I could get out even so much as a peep, something else was slapped over my mouth, something wet and slimy.

I tried to scream again simply from the grossness of it, and ended up inhaling some of it's sickly sweet smell. Instantly, I recognized what it was.

_Cmaabehk Tnik_, a potent Al Bhed drug used for putting people to sleep. The cloth has been soaked in it, and already I could feel it's effects taking place. My mouth became fuzzy and my head spun. All the fight left my limbs and Ryhcis began dragging me backwards again. My skin erupted into cold chills, but whether this was from the _Cmaabehk Tnik,_ or the fact that the person who I had almost considered my boyfriend was kidnapping me.

Kidnapping me. My head spun even wilder at that thought. Ryhcis was kidnapping me. Why in the hell was Ryhcis kidnapping me? Why--

Why was it all dark? Did I close my eyes? I hadn't meant to close my eyes. Was I sleeping?

No, not yet. But Ryhcis wanted me to. He had drugged me. Because he was kidnapping me. 

Kidnapping me. Ryhcis was. . . He couldn't. . . I needed. . .

Gippal. . . .  
---

When I woke up, it was dark, I was cold, and there was water near me. I registered the water first, both from the sound and from the fact that it was slowly seeping into my t-shirt (a dark color, thank goodness) and my jeans. That's probably why I woke up in the first place. I mean, everyone knows wet jeans are just about the grossest thing in the world.

I sat up, wanting to move away from the water, and was surprised to find myself unbound. I hadn't forgotten what Ryhcis had done to me, and had expected at the very least to wake up tied to a pole in the middle of a lake of man-eating alligators, or stripped to my underwear and dangled over a fire pit to be cooked, or bound to a rock to be used as a sacrificial gift to the gods. Any of those things made more sense than the fact that Ryhcis had kidnapped me.

I looked around, wondering slightly fearfully if he was there, but I didn't see anybody. It seemed that, wherever I was, I was all alone.

It was dark, and I was now slightly damp as well as cold. The floor seemed to be made of stone, as did the walls, and there were faded symbols that I could just make out carved into the rock. I had a sudden memory of Via Purifico and wondered if that's where I was. Possibly not that deep or in the dungeons, but at least somewhere below Bevelle.

I was just beginning to formulate a plan (starting with gathering up the courage to explore the dark room) when a door opened, seemingly out of the blank stone, and someone stepped into the room, framed from behind a flickering orange light.

I withdrew quickly into the shadows, opening my eyes wide to absorb as much of the light as possible so they could get used to it and I could see who this person was. Once I recognized him as Ryhcis, I wasted no time.

Leaping forward from my shadowy hiding space, I kicked out ferociously with my foot. Since I had already established that his abs were not the best place, I aimed lower and was rewarded with a rather undignified moan. I darted towards the door, having no idea was out there but intent on escaping, and collided with Meyn.

"Why Princess," he said in a voice I had never heard him use before. "It's nice to see you, and so eager to be off. We were just coming to fetch you."

"I bet," I snarled, trying to twist out of his grip so I could pop him one as well and keep on running. Let me tell you though, for an old guy he was _strong_.

"Don't struggle, Rikku," Ryhcis said softly, coming up behind me and putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" I shrieked, and arch my back wildly, throwing myself from Meyn's grasp. I hit the floor hard, but I didn't care. I was up again in a second, and ready to keep on fighting until I found a rifle shoved into my face.

"Ryhcis may do whatever he wants," Meyn said coldly. "You are in _no_ position to issue orders. Cid may be bargaining for you life, but he has no way of knowing if that life is terminated or not."

"Cid?" I asked, frozen by both the rifle and the calculating ice of Meyn's eyes. "My dad?"

Meyn didn't answer, but moved around behind me and jabbed the rifle into my back. Ryhcis took my arm and began leading me down what turned out to be a hallway, also of stone, and lit with torches mounted on the walls.

I had guessed correctly, we were beneath Bevelle temple, but after going up several flights of stairs and reaching the main hall, I realized we hadn't been very deep. Evidence of destruction was apparent in the small piles of rubble laying about between the pillars, and large section of one wall missing. I remembered talking with Sahden about the murders and explosion in Bevelle, but didn't have time to ask about anything before I was shoved into a small waiting room with a couch and two chairs. Ryhcis was handed the rifle and Meyn disappeared, saying he'd be back in just a moment.

"Don't try anything, Princess," he advised, then shut the door behind him. I shot a glare at Ryhcis, then, not knowing what else to do, flopped down unhappily on the couch. It didn't occur to me to be scared then, not really. Mostly just annoyed.

"Rikku," Ryhcis said. "Please, don't be like this. . ."

"Like what?" Okay, so annoyed and angry. "You freakin' _kidnapped_ me, and now I'm supposed to what. . . be grateful?"

"We're just holding you for a little while." Ryhcis sounded sad. Almost pleading, though his graceful Al Bhed was as flawless as always. "Just until your father meets out demands."

"What demands?" I was starting to feel a little more frightened now. I did not like people threatening my family. "If you're planning on hurting him--"

"No, no, no," Ryhcis was shaking his head. "You're not understanding. We have _you_ in our power." He was moving closer to me, and the rifle was dropping slightly. "_You_ are the one we will be threatening to hurt. Cid will be the one giving up his power to save you."

"His power?" I asked. My skin crawled with every step Ryhcis took, but I was trying not to let my revulsion show on my face. The longer he talked, the lower the rifle got.

"Yes." Ryhcis' voice was soft and silky, just like the first time he'd kissed me, but instead of making me shiver with delight like I'd done then, it made me want to throw up. "Your father will hand over his throne to me and Meyn, and we'll take charge of the Al Bhed."

"He doesn't sit on a throne," I said, and couldn't help the sarcasm. "He's a leader, not a king." I refrained from adding ëdumbass'. "And why would you want control of the Al Bhed? From what I've heard, they're an unruly bunch--"

"Rikku. . ." Ryhcis actually sank down on the couch next to me with this, the rifle touching the floor. I gave a small, involuntary twitch when his leg touched mine, but I don't think he noticed. "I thought you of all people would understand."

"Understand?" How had I never noticed before that this guy was utterly and completely crazy? "Ryhcis, you kidnapped me and are threatening my family so you can exile them from their position of power, and you thought I'd understand?"

Ryhcis chuckled, and put a hand on my knee. It took all of my willpower not to scream and punch him in the face. "No, Rikku, I thought you'd understand _why_ I'm doing all of this. Aren't you the princess? Don't you want to be leader someday? You've tasted power. Don't tell me you don't like it."

"That's different," I said, not really concentrating on what I was saying, but trying to find a way to escape his touch without drawing too much attention to myself. "I don't have a choice. I never kidnapped anyone for it."

"But I didn't have a choice either," Ryhcis said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "The only way we could get enough power and support for Al Bhed Vun Spira was to get power over all the Al Bhed, and to do that we'd need either to kill Cid and all his children, or get him to hand it over willingly--"

"Wait!" I leapt up from the couch and practically fell across the room to the opposite wall. I wanted to be as far from Ryhcis as possible. For some odd reason, I could feel tears pricking at my eyes. My mind was jumping around crazily, and I blurted out the first thing that it settled on. "Al Bhed Vun Spira?"

"Of course." Ryhcis stood, moving towards me. I bit the inside of my lip hard, and tasted blood. "We had begun formulating our plans even before the attack on Home three years ago. We thought that maybe Cid might die in all the chaos and confusion--"

Yeah, I was definitely starting to cry now, despite my best efforts not to. How could this delusional, rilfe-wielding man talking casually about killing my father be the same guy who kissed me so tenderly and told me the sunshine suited me?

"-- but that didn't work out. I stayed underground with Meyn during the blast, and that's when Al Bhed Vun Spira really got started. You see, we were just so _angry_. . ." He moved toward me again. "Home was attacked again. We were forced from our home again. Again, we had to beg for refuge from the world that has done nothing but shun us for most of our history.

"Everyone always seems to think they can take advantage of the Al Bhed-- ridicule us, murder us, drive us from their cities, but still use our machina and depend on us to keep making more."

I was pressed as hard against the wall as was probably humanly possibly, my vision blurring from my tears but fixed unwaveringly on Ryhcis. I was barely taking in what he was saying, but I could almost understand. That was, until he touched my arm.

"They're pigs, Rikku," he whispered. "They're all pigs. All the self-righteous, self-serving bastards who looked at the Al Bhed, at all our intelligence and machina and civilization, and sneered."

"You're--" I began, but it came out as a croak. Ryhcis' eyes seemed to be hypnotizing me.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Ryhcis breathed. "You're father just doesn't understand. Sure, he's work for a better future for the Al Bhed, but only _within_ the Al Bhed. He just couldn't grasp the idea that if the rest of Spira were to be assimilated in our ideas, and our ways, then discrimination would end. Completely."

"But that's--" I still couldn't quite get my voice to work.

"It's the only way, Rikku." Ryhcis was grasping my arm now, his body very close to mine. "Once Al Bhed Vun Spira manages to convert the rest of the world to our ways, we will be the dominate group, and we will be respected, not ridiculed."

"You're--" I swallowed hard. "You're just like Yevon."

"What?" Ryhcis' voice lost all it's softness, and his fingers tightened on the rifle. I didn't repeat what I'd said, but it seemed I didn't need to. Ryhcis leaned forward to put his lips to my ear and whispered "No, Rikku, we're not. Don't ever say that again."

He pulled back, his eyes staring into mine as though he was going to kiss me. I simply stood there, sagging against the wall, shaking, with tears trickling down my face. The room was too small, Ryhcis was too close, and I couldn't take in everything he'd said and done. My head was beginning to ache, and my arm was throbbing. I felt faint, and attempted with little success to pull away from Ryhcis.

He was muttering something, but I couldn't understand it. Bile rose in my throat. _Ryhcis wanted to kill my family_. It kept going through my head. _Ryhcis is a killer. He wanted to kill my family._

In desperation, I lashed out at Ryhcis, headless of the rifle, catching him in the shin and sending him sprawling. Unfortunately, his grip on my arm dragged me along as well. Ryhcis hit the couch, while I fell over one of the chairs. The rifle hit the floor, and went off with a tremendous band. We both threw our arms over our heads and lay there, immobile.

Then Ryhcis whispered my name and the door burst open.  
-  
--  
---

Okay, so I know it may seem like this has taken a totally random and weird turn and all, but trust me, this has been planned for awhile. If it seemed predictable or cliché or whatever, I'm sorry. The story's kinda been writing itself. I know it may seem like a lot of other fics other but we are writing with the same characters, same beginning story line. Go figure.  
Next chapter is Gippal's POV and I hope to get in some really good drama. Good luck me.  
Thanks to all the readers/reviewers, like always!


	11. Chapter 11

It's short, if not necessarily sweet. I'm doing my best to keep the story up to it's standard, even though it is nearing the end. Two more chapters. Thank you, everyone, who's reading and especially who are reviewing!

Chapter 11

_Nothing short of an explosion could have distracted us from our lips gently pressing, hands softly stroking, pulses racing wildly. . ._

After what seemed like an eternity that lasted only a few rapid heartbeats, or a few rapid heartbeats that lasted an eternity, Rikku tore her mouth away from mine. . .

"Gippal!"

As if the shout wasn't enough to jolt me back to the present, it was accompanied by a hard blow to the back of my head that sent me reeling.

"What?" I demanded, after slamming my hand down to keep myself from smashing into the table. "I agree!"

"I didn't ask you a question," Sahden said, fixing me with a stern glare.

"Oh," I replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. One of the papers we were working on stuck to my hand, then fell to the floor. I looked dispassionately over my shoulder at it, but made no move to pick it up.

"Oh for Spira's sake--" Sahden hit my arm this time with something that was halfway between a punch and a push. "--And for my sake as well, just go _talk _to her."

"What?" I stared at him in surprise. "T-talk to who?"

"You know who." Again, he fixed me with that paternally knowing glare. "I'm not going to get any work out of you when you're like this. Go to talk to her, and apologize if you must, or propose if you prefer, just resolve it."

"Propose?" I asked, but I was already half out of my chair. "Sahden, I think you're mistake--"

"Go!" my mentor shouted, and threw a pen at me. I ducked and dove out the door. I heard him laugh good-naturedly behind me as he added "Good luck!"

I waved at him, then, oddly emboldened by those words, strode off towards the _Tilgmehk_s room looking for Rikku.

She wasn't there.

"I told her to take a break," Buddy explained to me in his patient voice when I demanded (a little irrationally, I'll admit) where she was. "She was pretty distracted."

"Really?" I asked, and suppressed a "Ha!"

She was thinking about the glade, same as me.

"Yeah," Buddy replied. "I think she went outside, but she didn't come back. I didn't see her at lunch." He turned to Brother. "Did you see her at lunch?"

"No," Brother answered, then glared at me, as though I might be the cause of her absence. "Maybe she's with Ryhcis."

I matched his scowl with my own at that. A thought suddenly occurred to me that made me feel like my heart had just been tied to a concrete block and thrown in an icy lake-- maybe the reason Rikku was so distracted was _not _because she was thinking about the glade. At least not with longing and happiness like me. Maybe she was feeling guilty, and horrible and-- my heart gave another wrenching lurch-- disgusted.

"I'll go check," I said, and practically stormed out of the room. I was ready to pound Ryhcis' face in if I found him, but he wasn't with the rest of his normal squad. He wasn't in the mess hall. He wasn't outside.

And neither was Rikku.

Feeling frustrated and angry and more than a little worried, I started to head back inside, fully prepared to get on the in-temple CommSphere network and demand to know where they both were, when I saw it-- a dark stain on the wood of the bridge. A dark stain that looked a lot like blood. That was blood.

I knew right away it was Rikku's. There was too much evidence to think otherwise. Rikku was missing, Ryhcis was missing, and there was blood outside my temple. Which meant Ryhcis had tried to hurt Rikku. Which meant he now deserved to die. Which meant Rikku might be dead already.

With a strangled cry, I practically fell back into the temple, shouting for someone, anyone. Shouting for help.

The next half hour passed in a red tinged haze where I was barely aware of anything except my total anger at how long everything was taking, and this deep dark fear I kept trying to force away that it was all someone how too little, too late.

I could sense all this movement and noise around me; all these people doing and saying things that I just couldn't make sense of. Sahden was the only one who could say anything that I half-understood, and even then my mind was still concerned primarily with Rikku.

Where was she? Why was she there? What was happening to her? _Was she still alive?_

Eventually I was aware of a lot a screaming and yelling between Brother and a Commsphere, and I concluded that Cid must have been contacted. I couldn't bring myself to go anywhere near that little blue orb, but thank Spira Sahden was there.

He completely took over the whole thing, and eventually formulated what seemed like a plausible idea that Rikku might be in Bevelle. I have no idea how he got to this, but I did manage to glean that it had something to do, not only with Ryhcis, but with Meyn.

And once I found that out, there was no stopping me.

I charged towards the back of the temple, throwing off the consoling hands of Derrick and Sahden and anyone else who tried to comfort me and 'make me see reason'. I had no time for seeing reason. All I could see was an image of Rikku, painted in my mind with over-bright colors and an immense attention to detail.

I could see her so clearly it was painful, but less painful than thinking about anything else-- mainly Ryhcis and Meyn.

Once I reached my destination of my very own airship, _So Raynd_, I started shouting for it to be prepared. Needless to say, I was a little irrational at this point, and it was unclear, even in my mind, who I was shouting to.

However, Buddy, Brother, and a few other of the _Tilgmehk_s that had, I realized then, followed me with what seemed to be most of the Machine Faction, moved immediately in response to my commands.

_So Raynd _was unhooked and shaking gently by the time it took me to convince Sahden I had to go.

"I have to go!" I shouted at him.

"I know," Sahden said, taking my arm gently and drawing me aside. At the time, I was too upset and unreasonable to fully appreciate how incredibly he was handling the situation. "Just take a deep breath, Gippal, and relax for a moment."

"I can't _relax_--"

"Think," Sahden said, gripping my arm harder. "Is there anything you need to bring?"

"The ship's got it all," I said, practically straining against his hold.

"And the Faction?" Sahden wasn't letting me go that easily.

"You take care of them," I said, then stopped. "No, you come with me, on _So Raynd_." I glanced around. "Derrick can take care of the Faction."

Derrick looked at me with a mixture of confusion and abject horror.

"How about Csynkio?" Sahden suggested.

"Sure," I agreed carelessly, desperate to get going. Csynkio was another old friend who'd helped me set up the Faction in the first place. A sudden thought struck me, and I whipped me head around to stare at Sahden. "You're thinking about if I die--"

"Csynkio!" Sahden called, adding a long list of instructions in Al Bhed without looking at me. Finally, he turned to meet my eye and said "I'd be happy to accompany you."

"You--" I started, but turned at the sound of someone screaming my name.

"Gippal!" It was Brother, shrieking like a dying bird. What he was saying got lost amid his near supersonic noises and Al Bhed that was so rapid _I_ even had a hard time understanding it, but the basic message was clear: _Let's get the hell out of here!_

I strode towards the airship and up the ramp, followed by Sahden. The rest of the Faction watched solemnly as it closed behind us, and we took off, rising steadily into the endless grey clouds of the sky.

The moment I entered _So Raynd_ I felt better. The interior, painted in dark blue and purples, always seemed to having a calming effect on me. Sahden moved past me, heading towards the elevator, and though it bothered me slightly to not know who was piloting the ship, they seemed to be doing a fine job of it. I took a moment to rest my head against the cold metal wall of the loading dock and breathe.

Feeling a hand touch me almost tentatively on the arm, I turned my head and cracked open my eye. Brother, of all people, was standing there, an odd look on his face.

"Ryhcis," he said.

"No," I replied wearily. "I'm Gippal."

I paid for that with a painful blow to the arm. "Ryhcis," Brother said again. "He's got her somewhere."

"Yeah," I said, wincing a little and staring at Brother suspiciously. The last time we'd had normal conversation had been when we were probably about four.

"It has something to do with that Al Bhed Vun Spira?"

"Yeah," I said again, and was just thinking that for once in life Brother might be on my side when he drew back a tightly muscled arm and punched me in the face.

"What the hell?" I shouted, recoiling.

"How could you not have seen this coming?" Brother shouted back. "My baby sister is in the hands of those creeps-- you're supposed to protect her!"

"Since when?" I demanded, even though I had been thinking along the exact same lines. "You hate me!"

"But Rikku doesn't," Brother explained as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

I knew how stupid I'd sound even before I said it, but I still couldn't stop myself from going "Really?" and straightening up a bit.

Brother let out an extremely loud, exasperated sigh. "She's adored you since she was a kid, Gippal, and then we came to work here she was. . . anxious. About seeing you. And I much as I _do_ hate you--" He glared at me as though to prove it, "I thought you'd take better care of her than this."

I hung my head in shame, Brother voicing exactly what I was thinking. Still, the fact that Rikku had been anxious about seeing me. . . "Hey," I looked up, a though suddenly occurring to me. "What about you? You're her big brother."

Now it was Brother's turn to looked ashamed. "I failed," he muttered.

"Me too." I found myself sympathizing with him, which totally baffled me. After a few moments of awkward silence, I decided my anger of earlier was a safer emotion than any pity for Brother, or worse, anything Rikku's name conjured up in me.

Brother suggested heading up to the deck, and I seized upon that, leading the way almost proudly to the elevator. I enjoyed the feeling of it being my ship, and under my control, but I was happy to find Buddy seated confidently at the controls, piloting the ship fairly effortlessly towards Bevelle. My hands seemed to be shaking a lot at the moment, and I didn't know how well I'd do steering. I'd be tempted to just crash straight into Bevelle, then jump off the deck, guns firing.

That reminded me-- guns. Sahden at asked if I thought I needed to bring anything along with me, and I told him the ship had everything we needed. I was thinking of the fully-stocked weapons compartment, which, I saw as I turned around, Sahden had already emptied.

The full reality of the situation struck me at that moment, and I burst out in hysterical laughter. Here we were, a whole group of Faction members as well as the Faction leader, flying practically across an entire continent to rescue our nation's leader's daughter, who'd been kidnapped by a independent radical group, fighting for rights for our own race. It sounded like something out of book, not my actual life, and because of that I couldn't stop laughing.

"Gippal." Buddy was trying to talk to me. "Gippal." His deep, calm voice cut through my insane laughter. "Gippal, we just received a message from Cid. He's says he's on his way to Bevelle as well."

I couldn't manage more than a muffled "mmphff" at the moment, still trying to suppress my giggles.

"He's been contacted," Buddy continued. "By Meyn."

That shut me up pretty quick.

"What did he say?" I asked, all tension and worry and anger returning to me with a force that was almost like a physical blow. I resisted the urge to leap over the pilot's seat and grabbed Buddy by the collar to make him talk faster. "What did he say?"

"He said he's got Rikku and she's relatively unhurt," Buddy began.  
"Relatively?" I didn't even recognize my voice as my own, it was so close to a shriek. "_Relatively?_"

"And that they'll be contacting Cid shortly with their conditions for her safe return." Buddy didn't even turn in his seat, calmly steering the ship through a cloud bank. I could tell he was upset though, by the rigid set of his shoulders. "Cid's supposed to meet them in a Bevelle in an hour. He says he's counting on us to go in before that, and get Rikku to safety. We're supposed to be as discreet and quiet about it as possible, unless, of course, Rikku is in danger. And--" Buddy did turned around now, looking at us through his dark goggles. "If we fuck up, he'll kill us."

"Excellent," I said, striding over to the pile of guns Sahden had laid out on the deck. "Full speed ahead."  
---

When we reached Bevelle, there was a heated argument about who would actually leave the ship and go in search of Rikku, and who would stay behind. I had to hand it to others for arguing with me, especially since I was pissed and wielding a rather large amount of machina fire power.

In the end, it was decided that just I, Brother, and Buddy would go into the temple where Cid said he thought Meyn's communication had been coming from. Brother came up with an incredibly elaborate plan of a sneak-attack involving suspension cables, roller skates, and spoons, but I had crushed his dreams by saying it'd be a lot simpler, and a lot less suspicious, if we just walked right up to the front door.

Buddy handed the controls over to another _Tilgmehk_ who carefully maneuvered the airship near the temple, making it look like he was an inexperienced flyer who was having troubles holding his height. Buddy, Brother and I slipped easily over the side, landing as inconspicuously as we could in the streets. We watched the airship sail over our heads-- weaving and bobbing to fit the pilot's clever ruse-- in the direction of the official Bevelle landing strip. Once they landed, they were going to send a few others over to station themselves as backup, in case we needed it.

I hoped we didn't.

Marching confidently up to the temple door with my normal swagger, I threw the guard a contemptuous look, as though I barely considered him worth talking to. "I'm here to see Baralai," I said, without bothering to introduce myself. I spared a half-glance behind me to Buddy and Brother, not waiting for a response as I began pushing open the door. "They're with me."

The guard stammered something which I completely missed, then the door swung shut behind us and we were immersed in silence. Too much silence.

The temple was cold and had a dead sort of feel to it. It gave me the jitters, and I felt a little of my resolve wavering. Then I remembered that Rikku might be being hurt, lying in pain someone in this creepy temple. This was a lot more serious than poisonous sand ants or overzealous reporters. This time I really did need to be a knight in shining armor to Rikku, who had always been my princess, whether I recognized it or not. I needed to find her as fast as possible so I could gather her up in my arms and whisk her back to Djose and. . .

But there was a slight bit of a problem in finding her. Where to begin?

My dilemma was solved a moment later when a gun shot rang through the eerie silence of the temple.

"Stay here," I commanded Brother and Buddy, and dashed towards the source of the noise. It had come from out left, and after a quick scan of the area, I located two possible doors. Picking one at random, I threw it open and stepped in, gun raised and cocked.

I had absolutely no idea what to make of the scene that met my eyes.

Both Rikku and Ryhcis lay on the floor, an Al Bhed rifle between them. If either of them had been anything less than fully clothed, I would have started shooting right then and there. As it was, Rikku looked fairly unharmed, except for her slightly matted hair and some wetness on her t-shirt and jeans. She scrambled up from the floor after realizing who I was and flung herself towards me with something very close to a shriek.

"Gippal!" For a brief moment it was heaven as Rikku's arms twined around my neck, her body pressed to mine and her breath soft and warm on my skin. I caught her in a sort of one-armed hugged, keeping the gun trained as Ryhcis the best I could at the same time, despite the fact that I would have liked nothing better than to hold Rikku properly with both arms and _really_ express how happy I was to see her alive and well.

That's when I noticed that Rikku was attempting to squirm out of my embrace, pulling-- regrettably-- away from me and moving-- inexplicably-- towards Ryhcis.

"Rikku," I started to say with some confusion, her flowery metallic smell filling my nostrils and clouding my mind. I raised the gun again. "Get away from--"

"Don't shoot!" Rikku cried, and dove for the floor.

"I'm not going to--" I was utterly bewildered until I saw her scoop up the rifle and retreat away from Ryhcis again, who was slowly rising to his feet.

"Don't move," I growled, feeling uncontrollable anger rising up in me again. Again, I jabbed the gun forward. "I have absolutely no problem with blasting your lying ass off."

"Don't worry," Ryhcis sighed, sounding tired and beaten but not particularly worried. "I believe you." He turned towards Rikku. "Are you alright?"

I expected Rikku to spit venom, or at the very least favor Ryhcis with one of her withering stares, but she simply looked at the ground and muttered "Fine."

It was not 'fine' as far as I was considered, however.

"What did he do to you?" I demanded, turning first to Rikku, then to Ryhcis. "What did you do to her?"

"Gippal, please." To my surprise, I found Rikku's slim fingers curling around my arm, pushing the gun down towards the floor. Away from Ryhcis. Her luminous green eyes were wide as she stared up at me. "Is my father here?"

"What?" I was totally caught off guard by her attitude, unable to comprehend the fact that Ryhcis didn't seem to be Rikku's biggest priority at the moment.

"Is my father here?" she repeated, a twinge of desperation in her voice. "Did he come with you?"

"No," I said, and Rikku breathed a audible sigh a relief. Ryhcis started forward and I jerked the gun back up.

"Rikku," he said in what was unmistakably his best reasonable and calming tone. "I wouldn't have hurt your father."

Besides letting out a little squeak, Rikku seemed unable to answer him.

"You just. . ." she managed at last, and to my fury I saw tears welling up in her eyes. "You just _said_. . ."

"There would be no need if he'd cooperate," Ryhcis continued in his mellow voice, as though they were merely discussing the weather. "I told you, if he'd willingly hand over his title to me and Meyn, then--"

I leapt forward before Rikku could stop me and smacked Ryhcis hard across the mouth, knocking him to floor. Rikku half-shouted, half-sobbed my name and seized me by the arm, but I wasn't paying attention.

"Listen," I growled down at Ryhcis. "I am not kidding with you." I jerked him to his feet and threw him at one the chairs in the room. He managed to half catch himself and collapse into it. "And from now on, you don't look at her, you don't think about her, and you certainly don't _talk_ to her. Got that, you delusional prick?"

"Gippal, please." Rikku was still pulling at my arm. "He's not worth it. We can hand him over to the authorities. Let's just get out of here."

"Where's Meyn?" I demanded of Ryhcis, barely hearing a word Rikku was saying. "Where are the rest of your psychotic Al Bhed Vun Spira cronies?"

"Around," Ryhcis answered, spitting some blood from his mouth.

"Do you have any way of contacting him?"

Ryhcis didn't seem ready to answer until I practically shoved the gun down his throat.

"No," he responded sullenly. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I tightened my grip on the gun as a cold stab of fear shot through me.

"And Baralai?"

"Unharmed." Ryhcis gave me a strange look. "He was conveniently called away, just like during the explosion. We have no reason to hurt the praetor. Yet."

The way he said it, in that calm and relaxed voice, made my blood run cold. "You had no problem hurting Rikku," I accused.

"That's not true." The my utter surprise, Ryhcis paled and glanced in Rikku's direction with wide eyes. "I didn't hurt her."

My eyes narrowed, and I snarled "The explosion--"

"It was meant for Brother," Ryhcis cut across me, and if I wasn't mistaken there were actual tears in his eyes. "Not for Rikku. She shouldn't have installed the mechanism." His cool exterior cracking, Ryhcis pushed himself from the chair, fixing us with an earnestly pleading gaze. "I didn't want to hurt her at all, ever. My assignment was to observe Cid's children, and if I saw an opportunity, take it, but I didn't hurt her." His voice broke on the last word. "I didn't hurt her!"

It was painfully obvious, even to me in my anger-tinged haze, that he was being sincere. Still, that didn't stop me from shoving him back into the chair with a growled "I didn't say you could move."

"Gippal." Rikku was still clinging to my arm. "Gippal, please." Feeling her body trembling against mine, I took my gaze away from Ryhcis long enough to glance down at her. Her green eyes were still immensely wide and swimming with tears. "Please, let's just leave."

It was unlike her to be this meek and scared. I had known Rikku for almost all her life, and I had never thought of her as someone who cried easily or who couldn't handle herself in a crisis. This new, emotional attitude was strange and unexpected, and kicked my protective instincts into overdrive.

"Okay," I said. "Listen, Buddy and Brother are waiting out in the main room. You go on out to them, and I--" I started moving towards Ryhcis but stopped at the look on Rikku's face.

"Don't hurt him," she said.

"Rikku." I couldn't restrain a small noise of exasperation and disbelief. "This guy was going to kill your family. He would have killed _you_ as well if he had to--"

"I know," Rikku interrupted. "But please. Promise me you won't hurt him."

"If he needs to be subdued--"

"He won't." Rikku sent a brief glance towards Ryhcis, but she didn't appear to be able to look at him very long. She turned back to me. "I'll be with you."

"Now, Rikku. . ." I was about to protest, about to tell Rikku that I was only thinking in her best interest, that I didn't want her anywhere near Ryhcis ever again, and that those moments when she was missing and I didn't know if she was even alive were the single scariest moments of my life.

However, the words didn't come out. All I could think as I looked at her--standing there with her golden hair messy and down, eyes red-rimmed with lashes stuck together from tears, plain t-shirt and jeans mussed and dirty-- was that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and I was going to be damned if I let her out of my sight again.

"Okay," I said. I jerked Ryhcis out of the chair, holding him by the arm and jabbing the gun in his back. "We'll go together." The smile Rikku sent me was grateful and exhausted and utterly lovely. It made me feel as though everything was going to be all right.

Boy, was I wrong.

----

Please review! I particularly enjoy getting reviews for every chapter, but if you're reading this through without doing that, then please add a review here for me. If you've already done that, then you're just about the coolest person ever.  
Next chapter is written. I'll post it tomorrow, if not today.  
-  
---anyone who had played Resident Evil 4, check out my new fic, Scars.--- 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The fist hit my face before I even really had time to react. My gun was torn from my hands, and I heard Meyn's slippery voice say "Nice of you to join us."

We had entered the main hall of the temple, the three of us together, with Ryhcis going first, me prodding him from behind with my gun, and Rikku taking up the rear. Ryhcis had ducked out of the way shortly after entering the door. I'd made a grab for him, of course, but by then Meyn had decided, in a very unfair and unsportsmanlike move, to slug me.

"You sick bastard," I muttered, unsure myself if I was speaking to Meyn or Ryhcis. My noise didn't seem to be broken, or even bleeding, so I prepared to launch myself forward, stopping short when my own pistol was abruptly thrust into my face.

"The tables have turned now, haven't they?" Ryhcis, who was wielding the weapon, said. He smiled, displaying teeth that still bore traces of blood from when I'd hit him. "You should have just given us your support, Gippal."

Hearing a little whimper, I glanced worriedly towards Rikku. Meyn had her in sort of straightjacket hold with one of his arms, using the other to press a long gun to her temple. Her eyes, even wider now if possible, flicked between me and Brother and Buddy, who had also been relieved of their guns and were surrounded by three unfamiliar Al Bhed.

"I'm sorry, Gippal," Brother muttered, and there was true contrition in his voice. Meyn laughed, drawing an involuntary squeak from Rikku as he tightened his grip on her arm to stop her from twisting away.

"Isn't this just precious?" he asked in his old-fashioned Al Bhed. "Not only the Leader of the Machine Faction, but both Cid's children as well." He moved over towards the alter that was against the back wall, dragging Rikku with him. "Perhaps we should make a sphere, don't you think, Ryhcis?" Ryhcis didn't answer, but Meyn didn't seem to notice. He just wrenched Rikku's head around so she could see his slick smile and added, "The last time the old man will ever see his children alive."

The hall exploded with noise as Brother and Rikku both started shouting obscenities at Meyn. Then Buddy was shouting to Brother, one of the Al Bhed surrounding them was moving, there was a solid _crack_, and Rikku was screaming something else entirely as Brother hit the floor.

"Shut your mouth!" Meyn ordered harshly, throwing Rikku to the floor to eliminate the problem of holding her as she had nearly vaulted out of his grasp when Brother had been hit. I threw myself forward as well, but Ryhcis stopped me with a hard crack to the head from my own gun. Meyn placed his foot on Rikku's side, aiming his gun down at her. I would have liked nothing better in that moment than to have been able to dismember him.

Silence filled the hall, broken only by our loud, almost panting breathing.

"I am going to go fetch a sphere," Meyn said at last, speaking slowly and clearly. He pressed his foot a little harder into Rikku. "None of you are to move until I return. If you do, Ryhcis will shoot your precious princess."

To say Ryhcis' face drained of all color would be an exaggeration. He certainly went extremely pale, but his unique eyes were glowing as hotly as two swirling coals. I thought he might refuse, but he didn't. He merely nodded to Meyn, and set his jaw.

"None of you are to move," Meyn repeated, glaring at me in particular as Ryhcis pulled away to help Rikku to her feet. He pressed the gun to her temple as Meyn had done, but his hold on her was gentle, almost tender.

Rikku had looked on the verge of tears before, but now as Meyn walked past her out of the room and Ryhcis wrapped an arm around her waist, her face was devoid of all emotion. She stood straight and rigid in Ryhcis' hold, staring ahead of her at nothing.

"Rikku," I heard Ryhcis whisper softly in her ear. "Rikku, please . . ."

The caressing tone in his voice when he spoke her name filled me with rage. My hands clenched at my side, and I began judging the distance between Ryhcis and me. Perhaps with one good leap I might be able to reach him . . .

"Gippal," Brother said suddenly. "I told you to stay in your own room."

I turned to look at him, completely and utterly baffled to the point of speechlessness.

"I told you to stay in your own room," Brother repeated. His lip was swollen, causing him some difficulty in forming the Al Bhed words, but there was no mistaking what he said. "You know how _angry_ I get when you don't."

"I get angry too," Buddy added, giving me a look that was clearly meant to be significant, but I had no idea why. Neither, apparently, did any of the other Al Bhed, for they were exchanging looks with each other, clearly wondering if they shut us up or not.

"Gippal," Rikku spoke for the first time in a while, her voice rough and hoarse and entirely un-Rikku-like. She was also look at me with wide eyes. "Remember what happened last time you didn't."

I looked at her with utter perplexity for a moment, and then it hit me. She and Brother were referring to the time long ago when I had gone into Rikku's room during a thunderstorm. Maintaining that I'd just wanted to make sure _she_ wasn't scared, I'd crawled on top of her bed and lay down. Unfortunately, Brother had heard me, and, being about six at the time, had screamed, "Surprise attack!" before leaping on me. It became sort of a joke that Rikku was fond of retelling, Brother always adding "I told Gippal everything then. I told him to stay in his own room, and I told him when I was attacking."

What he was trying to say now was that he was about to launch his own version of a surprise attack. He and Buddy were going to take on the guys surrounding them, and I would handle Ryhcis.

I bowed my head, attempting to show him I understood without being too obvious. "I know you did. I should have listened."

"You should have," Brother said. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his tightly muscled arms tense. "And you should listen to me NOW!"

Whipping around, he kicked one of the Al Bhed in the groin, tackling the other to the ground. I saw Buddy make a wild move as well, but I couldn't tell what it was, having already moved myself.

I never got to Ryhcis, however, because Rikku shrieked, "Don't! Help them!" then wrenched herself from Ryhcis' hold and punched him in the face.

I understood that she was worried about Buddy and her brother, who were fighting two on three, but I didn't want to leave her to handle Ryhcis on her own.

"Gippal!" she screamed even as she grabbed Ryhcis in what looked to be a pretty painful headlock. "Help them!"

Giving her a look that said I would but I wasn't happy with it, I turned to where Brother and Buddy were fighting Meyn's minions. It looked like utter chaos-- bodies rolling about, kicking, punching, and scrabbling for the guns that had been thrown across the floor. Just for good measure, (and possibly because I had become slightly insane by this point) I shouted "Surprise attack!" then threw myself into the fray.

Pulling one Al Bhed off Buddy, I dealt him a hard upper cut that sent him reeling. Seeing him land near a discarded gun, I threw myself to the floor, rolled, and scooped up the weapon for myself. I whirled around to aim at Ryhcis, planning to shout, "Freeze, dirtbag!" just like they do in the movies. I had forgotten, of course, about the Al Bhed on the floor.

Now I have been in my fair share of barroom brawls where everyone just starts hitting everyone else, and there is no such thing as a fair fight or rules of combat. In brawls like that, it is very common for someone who has been knocked to the floor to reach up and grab the leg of someone standing, pulling them down, literally, to their level. So really, I shouldn't have been so surprised when the Al Bhed lying at my feet did just that.

The wind was knocked out of me when I hit the floor, and the Al Bhed took the opportunity to leap on top of me and make a grab for the gun. I use the butt of it to whack him, hard, in the face. He rolled away, moaning. I wondered distractedly, while I gasped for breath, if I had broken his nose. I hoped so.

As soon as I was able to, I scrambled to my feet. Checking the gun, I found it was loaded, so I prepared to first stop my attacker, then make sure Ryhcis wouldn't be touching Rikku ever again. I raised the gun and a shot rang through the hall. But it wasn't my shot.

Whipping around so fast I actually felt my neck crack, I desperately searched for the source of the shot. I didn't have to search far. Buddy, who was bleeding profusely from both the arm and the head, was kneeling on the ground next to an Al Bhed who writhing in pain in a pool of blood.

"Don't move," Buddy was saying, pressing his hands against the man's abdomen. "You're going to be okay." By the slight hitch I heard in his otherwise calm and steady voice, and by the moisture on his cheeks, I guessed Buddy was the one who had fired the shot.  
Brother and the other Al Bhed were still scuffling, the Al Bhed with his arm wrapped tightly around Brother's neck while Brother was attempting to kick him in the knees. My Al Bhed, no doubt seeing the gun in my hand, was standing a ways away, hunched over rather pathetically and holding his nose. It was most definitely broken, and it was obvious, by the ugly snuffling noises he was making and his feeble attempts at stemming the blood, that he'd never had that happen to him before. Tch, amateur.

Rikku was standing with Ryhcis. Though she now held the gun, neither of them looked particularly hurt. _Ryhcis probably gave it over without a fight_, I thought. _No matter what promises he makes to Meyn, he still won't hurt her._ Despite this revelation, I swung my gun around towards him.

"Step away from Rikku," I commanded in what I thought was an extremely menacing voice. Al Bhed can sound quite scary when you want it to. "Or I'll blow your sorry guts out, you slimy sack of puss."

"No," Ryhcis said.

No. Just like that. It didn't matter that I had a gun trained on him, or that he was defenseless and all his allies had been defeated. It didn't matter that I meant every word I said. He wasn't moving. I lifted the gun.

In truth, I didn't want to shoot him. Yes, I hated the guy. Yes, he had not only kidnapped, but also nearly killed someone extremely close to me. And yes, though I didn't want to admit it, I was jealous of him because he'd been kissing Rikku and she had wanted nothing to do with me. But I didn't want to shoot him. He was a person, no matter how low of one, an Al Bhed and person, just like I was.

But even though I didn't _want_ to shoot him, I was ready to do it if I had to.

"Gippal," Buddy muttered from the floor. "We need backup. I can't hold on to him much longer." He was referring to the Al Bhed whom he had shot who now seemed to be unconscious.

"Shoot him Gippal!" Brother cried, his voice strangled from the grip of his captor.

"Don't!" Rikku said, her eyes boring into mine.

"Just in the leg!" Brother shouted back. With a grunt he managed to flip his attacker over his shoulder, slamming the man down on his back on the floor, where Brother promptly sat on him, panting. "So we can get out of here."

"Ryhcis will come quietly," Rikku pleaded. "There's no need to shoot him."

The way she was looking at me, I doubt I could have refused her anything right at that moment. If she had asked me to cut off my own hand and dance around in a circle with it, wearing nothing but a leopard print g-string, I probably would have been happy to oblige. As it was, I lowered my gun a fraction of an inch and said, "As long as he comes quietly." Rikku smiled at me.

Then Meyn returned.

Another shot cracked through the air, echoing around the hall. Instinctively, Rikku, Ryhcis, the Al Bhed with the broken nose, and I all dropped to the floor. The bullet pinged off the pillar just behind my head. Looking up, I saw Meyn standing in the doorway, an Al Bhed pistol that was currently pointed directly at my head in his hand. His eyes flicked over the scene, noting the downed Al Bhed and the two incapacitated others, before coming to rest on Ryhcis.

"Care to explain what happened here?" he asked in a dangerously soft voice.

"They attacked," Ryhcis said, pushing himself to his feet and drawing Rikku with him.

"And you couldn't stop them?" Meyn demanded, still speaking with quiet disdain. "I might have known. Worthless, the lot of you. Take her gun."

Ryhcis extracted my gun from Rikku's fingers. She didn't struggle in the slightest, watching Meyn with over-bright eyes.

"Cid will be here soon," he said silkily, now speaking to the room at large. "And I have no doubt he'll give us what we want, especially if he knows we mean business. Especially if we--" He grinned widely, then swung his gun from me towards Rikku. "Persuade him."

"SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed, and raised my gun even though I knew I couldn't stop Meyn in time. Ryhcis took a step away from Rikku, turning his gun towards me. He may not have been willing to shoot her himself, but he was willing to let Meyn do it. And he was willing to stop me from interfering.

A third shot echoed around the hall. The sound of a scream was mingled with the sound of blood splattering across the floor, blood that was followed seconds later by a body.

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Confused? Good. You should be. :)  
One more chapter to go. Thanks for sticking with me for so long.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I'm so sorry about the long wait. I've only kept everyone waiting for about forever. If anyone is still reading this that is, in which case they deserve cake and cookies and big hug and a puppy.  
This chapter has been written for a while, but I wanted to wait to post it until I got the next one finished as well (I lied. Two more chapters, this one and the next one). However, I think it's been long enough for any dear readers that are still hanging on, and I shall end your suspense. I hope you like the chapter, or at least don't hate it.

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Chapter 13

I remember my mother's death.

I was young when it happened, so young that I'm not even sure how young I was, but I know it was young enough that I had to accompany my parents to the machina building hangers when they went there to oversee or join in the buildings.

I don't remember exactly everything about how it happened or what it looked like, but I do have a lot of details and feelings and sensations I am quite certain about. I remember the blood, and her face. More than that, though, I remember Pop's reaction. The machina had gone crazy-- some sort of malfunction that happens rather often when you work with ancient salvaged machines-- and gouged a giant hole in my engineer mother's stomach. I'm sure she'd screamed in surprise and pain, but it had been Cid's heartbroken and helpless bellow that stuck in my mind. He'd dived across the hanger and snatched my mother's small frame from the floor, from the blood. That was another thing I could remember with vivid clarity: the blood, coating the floor and the machina and my mom.

I ran over to Pop then, abandoning my little toy machina and dropping down next to my kneeling father. He was sobbing in harsh gasps-- one of the only times I have ever heard him cry in life-- because he knew then what I did not. I pushed myself next to him, elbowing Brother-- who'd come running over as well and was shrieking his head off-- aside to make a grab for my mom's hand. My own soon became quickly coated in her blood, but I still didn't understand.

"Momma," I can remember saying. "Don't worry, Momma. You'll be okay." I had seen Al Bhed potions work miracles. I couldn't comprehend that there was no miracle in the world that could save her then. Pops kept crying, cradling her gently in his arms, and Brother had actually quieted, squeezing in next to me and putting his hands over mine. I started to get worried then. "Momma?" My voice had got higher, my grip tighter. "You'll be okay, won't you?"

She didn't answer. Her breath was coming in gasps almost as ragged as my dad's, her eyes glazed over, eyelids fluttering, and her skin paling rapidly as the life drained out of her. I don't know it actually happened or if I just want to think it did, but I swear she used the last of her strength to manage a smile for me and Brother, then press her lips to Cid's cheek before her eyes closed and her head dropped back, her hand going slack under mine. . .

The time that followed is where it gets fuzzy in my mind. My mom wasn't dead then, not yet, but she would be in a matter of minutes. I didn't stay to watch her, I had to get out of there or I felt sure I was going to explode. I vaguely remember leaving the hanger, then running and running until it was dark and I was exhausted and sobbing and some of my father's advisors (possibly Sahden among them) came and found me and took me home where I crawled into my dad's bed with him and Brother, and we attempted to sleep through our agony. I was transferred to my own bed the next morning and didn't get out of it for a week.

I thought then that that was the worst thing I'd ever see. I'd been pretty traumatized for quite some time, and was convinced for a long while that I could never stand to work with machina again in my life. I got over that when I got a little older and a little wiser, and even began enjoying bending the powerful machines to my will.

On the pilgrimage with Yuna, I'd seen lots of terrible things, not the least of which being one of my best friends throwing himself into supposed death off our airship. I'd killed fiends, and had fiends nearly kill me, but I'd always get really squeamish when it came to killing actual human beings. I preferred to simply steal a few items, then duck out of the battle and have someone strong like Lulu or Auron come in and take my place. I'd probably would have had a problem with human death even if my mother had lived, but after seeing her thrashing about like that. . .

Auron had faded to the eternal rest he had been refusing for years. Tidus had disappeared, and then returned, completely whole. I hadn't actually watched someone I knew and cared about die since that terrible day from my childhood. That was, until the terrible day in Bevelle Temple.

The silence that followed the gun shot and my scream was long and deafening in it's intensity. I stood there, frozen and breaking, for what felt like hours even though it could have been nothing more than a few seconds. Then I was dropping down next to Ryhcis on the floor, determinedly not looking at his agony twisted face as I desperately tried to stem the flow of blood pouring from his chest.

Gippal had thrown his gun aside and made a dive for Meyn just after Ryhcis had fallen. He had been too late to stop Meyn from firing the dead-accurate shot, but he ran at him now. It was possible Gippal had fired his shot at the same time Meyn fired his-- I had no idea.

Buddy and Brother were still dealing with the other three Al Bhed, but I was hardly aware of anything that was going on around me. All my attention was focussed on Ryhcis.

I had pressed my palms flat against his chest where Meyn had caught him with the bullet. He was shuddering and twitching beneath my hands, his fingers curling over mine as he stared at me with a devastating knowledge in his eyes. Barely conscious, he was nonetheless painfully aware of his situation, and of the man who had caused it.

Meyn hadn't been aiming for me. When his gun had swung over in our direction, he hadn't been aiming for me at all. His ëpersuasion' for Cid was not my death, but Ryhcis's. He had been aiming for Ryhcis the entire time, and he had hit his mark dead-on.

"Rikku. . ."

Ryhcis was attempting to formulate a sentence, but at the moment he was only managing some gurgling sounds. Judging by the blood in his mouth and the position of the wound, I knew one of his lungs had been hit. He coughed and choked, spraying yet more blood over the both of us.

"Don't say anything." I was trembling almost as much as Ryhcis was, and my voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere else. "Don't try and talk." I had no idea what I saying. "Save your energy." My voice had that weird throaty sound to it that it gets when I cry. Was I crying? There was certainly moisture on my cheeks, but it could have been either tears or blood. I felt like I was drowning in both of them.

"Rikku!" It could have been either Brother or Gippal shouting my name, but I barely heard it. Ryhcis was still trying to speak, and right then his voice was the only one that mattered.

"Rikku, I--" He choked again, and again I shushed him. His fingers clenched on mine, and I could practically feel his heart fluttering inside his chest. "I'm sorry. Eblen--"

"Don't be sorry." It took me forever to remember Eblen was Meyn's first name. I was definitely crying then, gasping and heaving as I clung to the now-chilled hands that had once stroked my hair with ultimate tenderness. "Don't be sorry, Ryhcis. You didn't do anything." I was babbling by then, beyond comprehension even to myself. "You didn't do anything."

Despite another blood-choked cough, I could have sworn Ryhcis laughed. He tried to tighten his grip on my hands again, but his fingers, slick with blood, didn't have the strength. His lips that had kissed mine, now flecked with red, continued to move soundlessly. His eyes-- his gorgeous, intense eyes-- had been focussed on mine unwavering from the moment Meyn's bullet had ripped through his chest. Now they fluttered once. Twice.

"Ryhcis," I sobbed, unable to manage anything else.

His long lips twitched, curved into what just moments ago would have been a smile. His fingers slid on mine. His throat worked, his body shuddered. His eyes blinked, long lashes trembling as that light that had so quickly caught my attention during our first meeting flickered, then went out.

My breathed stopped, hitching in my throat as though doing so might cause Ryhcis's to start again. I clutched at his fingers, nearly breaking my own with the strength of my grip, and began to push feebly on his shattered chest.

A loud noise erupted behind me. It could have been a gun shot or a cannon or an explosion-- I didn't take any notice. I was focussed solely on Ryhcis. My vision and attention had narrowed completely to just the sight of him face, lying broken on the ground with blank eyes staring up at the ceiling. I began practically hyperventilating, ready to punch Ryhcis, scream at him, reach into his chest and _force _his heart to beat again-- anything to make those eyes lose that glazed, empty look.

I thought I heard my name shouted again, but I was too far gone by then to make any response. A strange rasping, gurgling sound filled my ears and I realized that I was the one making it. My chest was impossibly tight as I gasped and choked, completely unable to breathe. I felt like the blood that covered Ryhcis and myself was filling my stomach and my lungs, and all I could see were Ryhcis' eyes, staring, blank, staring. . .

Large hands seized my shoulders and jerked me backwards. My vision spun and blurred and for a moment I felt sure I was going to pass out. The floor loomed in front of me and I shut my eyes, waiting for the impact, beyond caring.

The impact didn't come. I felt strong arms wrap themselves around me instead, holding me up, cradling my head and keeping me from contact with the hard stone. I forced my puffy, burning eyes open and looked into Gippal's face.

"Rikku." His lips formed my name, but I didn't know if he actually spoke it out loud or not. The only sound I could hear was still the ugly gasping sobs issuing from my throat. Gippal's hands were on my chest and back, attempting in vain to help me breathe, but I couldn't manage to suck in air with that body so near me. I was suffocating, sick and suffocating.

Gippal realized it just in time, and hauled me away from Ryhcis's corpse, flipping me over so I could empty the contents of my stomach onto the floor.

His hands remained on my back as I retched and heaved, stroking me gently while murmuring soothing words. After I'd finished at last, he pulled me back onto his lap, rocking me back and forth while trying to warm my now frigid skin.

"Shhhh, Rikku." I could hear his words almost clearly now. "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay now."

I made an effort to answer him, but all I could do was clutch at his chest, pressing myself as close as possible and burying my face in his shoulder. I was shaking uncontrollably, still half-crying, and babbling insanely. Gippal just continued to hold me and rub my back and stroke my hair, his voice murmuring softly in my ear. After a few moments, he took hold of my arms and placed them around his neck, shifting position so he could stand up, still cradling me like a small child.

I kept my face hidden in the crook between his neck and shoulder as he walked across the hall. It was the only place in the world that seemed safe at that moment. I knew without a doubt that Gippal was taking me out of the hall, away from Meyn, away from Ryhcis, away from all the blood. I heard the sound of the heavy stone doors opening, followed by a sound that made me attempt to raise my head.

"--onto the ship," A growling voice was shouting. "All of you, now." Blinking blearily, I stretched out a hand towards the blurry shape that was moving towards me, and felt the broad, callused fingers of my father close over my own.

He growled some sort of question at Gippal, who answered it in a low voice. Cid's other hand wrapped around mine as he moved closer, and I smelled his familiar, comforting smell of tobacco and steel and engine grease. If I hadn't been nestled so wonderfully in Gippal's arms, I would have crawled straight into Cid's lap like I had done often as a small child, to be comforted by his gruff tenderness and growling assurances.

I heard him saying something about "same way when her mother died" and "shock." Then he was trying to take me from Gippal's arms, but Gippal held on fast, and after a few moments of intense conversation we were moving again, through the city and the streets.

The buildings and people that passed us were surreal blurs. My head felt thick and heavy and I clung to Gippal in an almost dreamlike state. I had absolutely no grasp of time or distance, but he carried me without stopping until we reached what I was able to infer was the airship dock.

Surrounded by a sudden rush of Al Bhed (who actually might have been there the whole time), we boarded a ship of blue and purple that looked vaguely familiar to me. It's interior was dark and cool, smelling wonderfully of metal and gunpowder. We entered a small room that was even darker, and I thought for a moment I saw a bed in the corner. My suspicions were confirmed a second later when Gippal began laying me on it, muttering something about blankets.

I practically threw myself from his arms then, bucking wildly to keep myself from touching those sheets. I heard Gippal swear in surprise and I clutched at his collar, desperate to explain.

"My hands. . ." They had just come into my view then, scaly and unnatural looking as they were caked with dried blood. Ryhcis's blood.

I tore them from Gippal's white collar, falling backwards towards the floor. I knew if I had left a stain on his clothes like the stains that were all over mine I would most definitely throw up again.

Just like he had done earlier, Gippal caught me before I hit the floor, but he was nowhere near as gentle this time. He seized me by my shoulders and shook me, repeating something over and over that I couldn't understand. I shook my head at him, my vision fuzzy.

"My hands," I kept repeating. "I need-- my hands. . ." I almost started crying again at my attempts to make Gippal understand what was wrong. He must have gotten the message somehow because he quit trying to talk to me and settled for hauling me up off the floor, hoisting me in his arms once again and carting me from the room.

We passed through another cool and dark room, then passed down to the end of a hallway. Gippal set me down for a moment so he could open the metal door of the room on our left and I leaned against the wall, eyes closed, breathing shallow. I could still see Ryhcis's face in my mind; his face as he stared at me with his breath and life bleeding out of him. I began rolling back and forth on the wall, clawing absentmindedly at the skin on my hands and arms.

Gippal seized my wrists then and forced my hands away from my body, keeping up a steady stream of curses under his breath. I sagged against him once I realized I could no longer reach any skin to scratch, and he hauled me into the now open room, kicking the door shut behind us.

"Take off your clothes." Gippal's voice seemed to be coming from a long way away as I gazed about the room, taking in the neatly tiled walls and large shower stalls as best I could with the pounding in my head. "Rikku, take off your clothes."

I turned my gaze to Gippal and looked at him blankly, completely incapable of doing anything more than that. He ordered me to strip and get in the shower one more time, then let out a fierce exclamation when I could still do nothing more then stand there.

Stepping forward, Gippal seized the hem of my t-shirt and dragged it over my head, tossing it to the floor before attacking the button of my jeans. He shoved the dirty, stained pants to my ankles, lifting me out of them then leaving me standing there, shivering, in my bra and panties, while he turned one of the showers on full blast.

Seizing me by the arms again, Gippal thrust me under the hard torrent of water, ignoring both my gasping shriek at the contact with the lukewarm stream and the fact that his own clothes were almost instantly soaked. He snatched up a bar of standard issue Al Bhed soap and began vigorously scrubbing at my hands and arms and neck and face and hair.

I still just stood there, letting him do all the work and listening to his continued curses and muttered complaints while the now hot water wiped my mind blissfully blank, the pounding rhythm of the droplets striking my skin beginning to make me feel wonderfully numb. And yet, when Gippal shut off the water a few minutes later after shoving me under it for a final rinse, I started to cry again.

Unable to stop the trickle of tears, I wept weakly all through the time Gippal was bundling me up in the fluffy towels he pulled from the shower room cabinet, then scooping me back into his arms to carry me back down the hallway to the bedroom. I was still crying a little when he laid me on the bed, though I raised no objections this time. Once he removed the towels and replaced them almost instantly with a giant, fuzzy blanket however, I had quieted.

I don't know if it was the seductive warmth and comfort of the bed, or the slight smell pervading the room that made me dimly suspect someone had sprinkled Dream Powder on my pillow, but I found myself slipping towards unconsciousness. I felt Gippal's hand on my head, tenderly stroking back my damp hair as he murmured quietly to me in the softest Al Bhed I had ever heard him use.

"Sleep now, sweetie," he said. "Sleep. Everything's going to be okay, don't worry." He bent lower, pressing a beyond-gentle kiss to my forehead. "You'll be alright, Rikku. We'll get through this, sweetie, I promise."

Reaching up, I grabbed his hand and pulled it down next to my head, snuggling up to it even as I felt myself slipping deeper into lethargy. Comforted by his actions and his words and his presence, I felt as though I was able to breathe properly at last. I closed my eyes, but I didn't see Ryhcis's blank stare or unnatural pale under his tan skin. Instead, I saw nothing but darkness, darkness that was warm and secure with the knowledge that Gippal, solid and steady, was by me side as I fell asleep, and that he would be there, just a solid, just as steady, when I woke up.

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I know I said this would be the last chapter, but I was wrong. There is ONE more to go (I mean it this time), and it's basically a baby chapter, then an epilogue of sorts. So if you've stayed with me this whole way, thank you. You are my absolute heroes, and I will give you my soul if you want it. If you're reading but not reviewing, you're not really so much my hero. You can just leave a little review on this chapter, can't you? A little one? If you're so inclined. If you don't, I will have to work a littler harder to love you. And you'd have to pay for my soul. :)


	14. Chapter 14

**It might be nice to go read the rest of the story again if that last thing you read was chapter 13, aeons ago when I last updated. Chapter 1 has been changed, and in a celebratory mood at finising this story, all other chapters will be re-uploaded very soon.**

So. I started this story over a year ago. I thought this summer that I'd be able to finish it, but obviously that didn't happen then. And then I started school and suffered through some pretty tough stuff which left little room for my life, much less any sort of pleasurable occupation for my time. But thankfully that's mostly done now, and I've been able to get my butt back in a gear and finally FINISH THIS BITCH!

I'm so sorry to anyone who's been waiting since chapter 13, if any of you are still left out there. I wish I'd finished this earlier, both so you didn't have to wait so long and so you wouldn't have any huge expectations for it or anything. I would almost suggest you go back and read the whole thing over again so you remember why you might have liked it in the first place (and forget how mad at me you are for not updating). But I'm sure if this ending will live up to the rest of the story. It's been a long time for me, too. I tried though, because I do love this story. I never expected it to be so long or be so well received, but I'm glad it has been. It's one peice of work that I'm am incredibly proud of.

So, many many apologies for the wait, and I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing this and getting your responses. :)

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Chapter 14

"She's been through a lot."

It was these words that woke me almost a day and a half later. I didn't open my eyes right away, but I didn't have to. I could tell that I was nestled safely in my bed back at Djose, and that my now-familiar and comfortable room was filled with people. I felt sleepy and numb, but even so, I had a pretty good idea who these people were.

"So I don't want you boneheads upsetting her!"

Yes, that was definitely my dad. And if I wasn't mistaken the retort would not be long in coming--

"It'll be you that upsets her, you senile old man. Did you forget your hearing aids again, or are you shouting that loudly on purpose?"

-- from Brother.

"I think she's waking up."

This voice, soft and serious, would have been almost foreign to me had it not been the one I was most hoping to hear.

Gippal. I opened my eyes.

I was indeed back in my bed in my room in the Djose temple, rolled comfortably in layers of blankets and wearing my favorite, coziest pajamas. It didn't occurred to me until later to wonder how that had come about, since the people in my room were all guys; Brother, Cid, a heavily bandaged Buddy, and Gippal.

Brother was perched on the end of my bed, looking as he always did, slightly anxious and more than a little hyper, like young soldier about to enter his first battle. Buddy sat in a chair near him, beaming around his goggles and bandages. Cid seemed to have abandoned a chair by the door, taking to pacing the small room instead. Gippal sat in a chair right next to my head. He wasn't smiling. For some reason this made me nervous, and I found I couldn't look at his grave expression for long.

"Buddy," I croaked instead, turning to look at my friend and companion of so many adventures. "Are you okay?" It suddenly occurred to me how selfishly I had acted. I felt my cheeks heating up as I blearily remembered my reaction to Ryhcis's-- Spira, I could barely even think it-- death.

"The others. . ." I stammered around my embarrassment, starting to make an attempt at sitting up. "Are they okay?" More memories came back to me, broken images smeared with the stain of those final moments in the temple. "Someone got shot. . ."

"He's okay," Buddy assured me, even as Gippal stoically pushed me back against my pillow. "Your father and his people got there in plenty of time. They're all okay."

"And you?"

"I'm fine." He flashed me another bright smile, though I sensed something a little sad behind it.

"And. . ." The name stuck in my throat. To my continued embarrassment, I felt tears spring to my eyes. I turned my head to hide them from Gippal, who continued to sit there, staring at me like I was nothing more interesting than a rock. With something gross on it. "And. . Meyn?"

"He was taken into custody yesterday," Cid answered. He reached forward to tousle my hair affectionately, a rare gesture that me feel like I was six years old again. "That--" he switched briefly to the common tongue to let off a litany of swear words and insults that during any other circumstance I would have found exceedingly amusing, "--won't be bothering anyone again."

I tried to say "Good" but all I managed was a sort of mangled squeak. I nodded instead, and the room fell silent. Brother absentmindedly patted my foot.

"Why?" I asked at last, looking up from my lap to sweep my reddened eyes around the room, albeit avoiding looking at Gippal.

"Why what, chickpea?" Cid asked warily, throwing in one of his old nicknames for me, like a farmer waving some shiny trinket to distract a crow from what it really wanted.

"Why did he do it?" My voice was monotone-- it was the only way I could keep it from cracking with all the confusing emotions swirling through my head.

"He was crazy, Rikku," Brother said. "He was insane. You heard it yourself from. . . well, you did. Meyn wanted to be ruler of the Al Bhed. He wanted to covert all of Spira _into_ Al Bhed, so he could rule over them too. He just wanted power." Brother's explanation started speeding up as I began to shake my head, his normally rapid Al Bhed word's blurring together. "He was reckless, Rikku. He didn't care about anyone. He would've shot any-- I mean--" He trailed off, his words careening into another deep ravine of oppressive silence.

"He said he was sorry," I whispered at last.

"Meyn?" Cid, ever tactful, practically shouted.

"No, not Meyn." I was near crying again. "Not Meyn."

"Ryhcis."

The name feel heavily from Gippal's lips. I looked up at him at last, my vision blurring. He looked back at me, solemn and serious. "Ryhcis said he was sorry."

"Yes." My voice was barely above a croak. "He did."

Gippal continued to look at me with that inscrutable expression. The room practically crackled with all the suppressed emotions sparking through it. I alone was trying my hardest not to burst into loud wails, or start screaming and throwing things, or just rolling over and dying on the spot. Then Gippal did something that completely crashed through every single one of my efforts to control myself. He nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "He meant it, too. You should. . . you should forgive him, Rikku."

My only response was a little gasp as I lurched to a sitting position. As confused and groggy as I felt, I didn't miss the significance in Gippal's words. By telling me to forgive Ryhcis, he was telling me that he had already done so. He'd made his peace with Ryhcis and he wanted me to do the same, to let go and just be free again, free to fall. . .

I threw my arms around Gippal's neck. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear. I would have whispered more, but it wasn't the time. I needed time, but I knew he was going to give it to me. He held me gently, tenderly, not saying a thing. He'd said it all.

After a few seconds of our clinging embrace, I felt another pair of arms go around my back. Buddy had moved over to join the hug, supporting me soundlessly as well. Then Brother added his tightly muscled arms to the huddle. I heard Cid cough discreetly in the background and knew he was watching us, slightly uncomfortably, possibly putting a hand on Brother's back in an attempt to show he was engaged without it becoming too strange.

I felt myself drifting back towards sleep as I lay nestled in the protective embrace of the people closest to me. Had Tidus and Yuna been there-- and maybe Paine and Kimahri and Lulu and Wakka too-- it would have been perfect. As it was, it came damn close, and I was able to slip back into oblivion feeling strangely liberated.

I did not see Ryhcis in my dreams that night, nor the day after in which I continued to sleep on and off-- until Tidus and Yuna did actually show up, after which point all bets of sleep were off-- but I knew that if I had, it would have been okay. It hurt to think about him for quite some time, but it wasn't that bad of a hurt. It was like a bruise that kept getting prodded, but that eventually healed up until it was nothing more than a memory of pain.

Just as Gippal had advised me, I forgave Ryhcis. And somewhere, somehow, I knew that he forgave me too.

----

"I am _not_ shirking my responsibilities!" I yelled in response to the garbled Al Bhed insult Brother had just shouted at me. "It's my break, and if I want to go outside, I can! That's what a break means!" Shaking my head and turning away from whatever Brother's shrieked in reply, I took a step towards the door and nearly knocked Yuna over.

"Sibling problems?" she asked with one of her beautiful, soft smiles.

"Oh no, Yunie." I smiled back, bright and broad and almost entirely genuine. "We're just working. Well, not me since right now I'm _on my break_!" I threw the last words over my shoulder, just for Brother's benefit.

"I see." Yuna smiled again. "Well if you're looking for something to do Tidus and I are packing the last of our stuff, and we'd love extra help. . ."

"Sure, Yunie." I gave her a quick hug, wanting to make my escape now before the slightly concerned crease in her forehead developed into anything more. "Maybe if I get really _really_ bored, and it's a choice between that and pulling out my own hair for entertainment."

Yuna laughed, but seemed as though she wished to add something else. Something serious. I didn't let her, but darted towards the front door and outside into the watery sunlight that was just starting to emerge from the afternoon clouds.

There were a quite a few people outside, workers on their breaks like me, Spirans come to visit the Faction for whatever reasons, Al Bheds on shipping or delivering missions.

I waved to a few I knew, nodded to some I didn't, and made my way to the bridge where I was generally out of the way. It had been two weeks since our sojourn at the temple in Bevelle, and in that time I had been doing a lot healing. Surprisingly, I had felt little compunction about going on the bridge again, and after a few days of my being out of bed it had once again become my spot of solace and refuge. The clearing was a slightly different story, though now I had reached the point where I didn't mind going there on my own, but I refused to go in with anyone else.

I considered hoisting myself up on the railing and sitting there with my back to the bridge to better enjoy the view. I'd just put one foot up when I heard someone call my name. Well, sort of my name.

"Hey, Cid's Girl!" Gippal was striding towards me, a bit of anxiety not quite hidden behind his normal swagger. "What are you doing?"

"Jumping," I said calmly, putting my other foot up on the railing. Had it been a month ago, Gippal would probably have replied with something like "Oh, doing something good for humanity for a change?" but as it was he reached up and yanked me back to the ground.

"I was kidding," I said, somewhat defensively.

"You shouldn't," he retorted shortly.

"Never ever?" I challenged.

"Never ever," he agreed solemnly, but I caught the twinkle in his eye.

"Oh that'd be no fun," I said, twirling back to the view. "Then I'd have to act like some old, dried up curmudgeon. I'd have to act like-- you!"

"I'm only a few years older, girly," Gippal mock-growled, grabbing me around the waist to spin me back to face him. "It makes me mature and wise. You're a little kid."

"Yeah?" I pretended to struggle in his hold. "You're a man-slut!"

"All the ladies just like me."

"Well I'm cute!"

"You are." He let go of me then, and our playful jeering dissolved into awkwardness. This was not the first time. Ever since we had returned from Bevelle, Gippal and I had been struggling to find a balance between us. For awhile he had played the supportive, comforting friend, but now that I was no longer lying in bed all day and crying at the drop of hat things had been forced to change again. We tried to go back to the easy friendship we'd had before, but it wasn't quite right. It seemed the comforting sensitive Gippal and the arrogant bantering Gippal couldn't exist at the same time, possibly because there was always something underlying it all. . .

It was kind of like that with Tidus and Yuna, though without the underlying weirdness. We'd be joking and laughing one moment, then the next I would fall silent, and then Yuna would be asking me if everything was okay. I never knew what to tell her. Of _course_ it wasn't okay, but that wasn't the point. The point was I usually wanted to pretend it was. There were only a few times when I really wanted to talk about it, and those times _I_ would be the one to bring it up.

Realizing Gippal and I had been standing there in silence for a few long moments, I searched for something to say.

"Tidus and Yuna are leaving tonight," was the first thing that popped into my head.

"Good," was clearly the first thing that popped into Gippal's, since he looked a little surprised at himself for blurting it out.

"You said it was okay for them to stay," I argued-- well, almost whined to tell the truth. Spira were things strange between us. "When I asked before, you said it was fine. And you _like_ Yuna--"

"I know," Gippal cut in hastily. "And I didn't mean it like that. I _do_ like Yuna. It's just. . . it's good to know they're going home, you know, so they can go back to being. . ."

"Happy couple one-oh-one?" I asked. Gippal laughed.

"Exactly," he said. "They're a little too perfect sometimes, in my opinion."

"Tell me about it." I put one foot on the railing behind me, leaning back on my elbows. "It doesn't help that you hate Tidus."

"I don't hate him!" Gippal's indignation was a little too forceful to believed. I snorted.

"Like hell you don't." I tossed my hair, adopting a look of mock-concern. "What is he, competition? ëFraid you're not the prettiest boy in Djose anymore?"

"Yes," Gippal said seriously, then half-laughed and shook his head. "No, not the pretty stuff-- I'll always hold that title--" He laughed again as I shoved him, then grew serious once more. "But the other stuff. I've been wanting to ask you. . . did he ever. . . I mean did you. . . were you and he. . ."

Suddenly catching on to his meaning, I let out a giggle. "Oh," I said, trying to hide my smile behind my hand, but not doing the best job of it. "I get it."

"I'm not saying I'm jealous," Gippal said hurriedly. "I didn't mean competition for _me_ necessarily. I mean I don't really _care_, I was just wondering."

"Okay." I was smiling again. Mischievously in fact. "Well if you were just wondering then I'm sure you won't mind if I don't answer your question."

That stunned him into silence for quite some time, allowing me to look over my shoulder at the view as I quietly savored my victory.

"Fine," Gippal snapped at last. "You got me. I'm jealous. Now will you answer the question?"

"Oh, I don't think so," I said in a singsong voice, on the verge of giggling again. "We've covered your jealousy before. It's something you need to work on, remember?"

"Yeah," Gippal said, quietly. "I remember."

I didn't know what to do with such a deep and serious response to my attempt at serious-reponseless teasing, so I fell silent.

"Sorry," Gippal said at last, squinting at some vague point about my head. "I know you don't want to talk about him--"

"No." I reached out to touch his arm. "I mean, yes it's hard sometimes but I really don't mind as much as everyone seems to think I do, or should. I'd. . . I'd rather talk about him than pretend he never existed, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Gippal agreed. "I kinda felt the same way when my dad died a few years back. Everyone was either avoiding me so they didn't have to talk about him, or singling me out so they could spend all day asking me how I felt. If I wanted to talk about it, I would, but other than that I just wanted them all to act normally again."

"Exactly." My hand stayed on his arm. After a moment he put his broad fingers over mine.

"I guess I haven't been acting very normally, have I?" he said with one of those quirky little smiles that always made my heart start going twice as fast.

I swallowed. I hadn't come out here for this kind of discussion, and I had tried to dodge it with my play at lightheartedness, but now that we'd started I didn't want to stop.

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean before you got stolen away to Bevelle and everything, you and I. . . we had something. Or we were starting to."

"Yeah." I was staring at his fingers, curling so protectively over mine.

"I know you were with Ryhcis--" Now that I had sort of given my permission, the name barely caused a reaction. "--but we still. . . At least _I_. . ."

"Me too," I said quickly, fighting the urge to laugh at how ridiculous our ëserious' conversation was. "I. . . I couldn't help myself."

Gippal chuckled low and took a step closer. "Did you want to?"

"Sometimes," I answered, finally raising my gaze from our hands to his face. What I saw there made me feel as though I'd never be able to look away.

"Me too," Gippal echoed my words of earlier. "I never planned to fall for you Cid's Girl. Not back when we were teenagers, and certainly not now."

"You didn't fall for me when we were teenagers," I murmured, suddenly aware of how very close we were standing. For once, though, I had no desire to back away.

"Like hell I didn't," Gippal growled in response, moving even closer. His hand came off mine and moved to cup my cheek instead. "I fell so hard, I think I've been climbing back up ever since. It made it so easy for me fall again this time. This time, it was like. . . a free fall."

"You told me you'd never been in love before," I breathed, slightly overwhelmed by his sincerity and the fact he remembered that conversation from what seemed like so long ago. It was rather un-Gippal like. I felt confused and disoriented like I always seemed to be feeling, but this time it was in the nicest way possible. I had taken a step closer to Gippal as well; our bodies were now touching one another. A shiver ran through me.

"I lied," Gippal said, leaning forward to press his cheek to mine so his breath tickled warm in my ear.

"Gippal. . ." I found my other arm had curled around his waist. I was practically clinging to him.

"Just say the word, Rikku," he replied softly. He was simply holding me, not nuzzling or groping in the slightest. Just holding me. "Say the word and I'll leave you alone."

"No." I _was_ clinging to him now. My legs didn't seem to be able to support my own weight, and my body had gone oddly jelly-like, molding itself to his. "I don't want you to. It's just going to take time. . ."

"I know." He feathered a few kisses on my temple. "And I'm willing to wait. I'll wait forever, Rikku."

"You don't have to do that," I said, and pulled back. "I just wanted to let you know. I'm not used to falling and it's going to take me sometime to get adjusted to the feeling, you know?" Gippal nodded. We stood there staring at each for a short eternity.

"Well then," I said at last, adopting my cheery attitude of before. "Are you going to kiss me or what? ëCause I can tell you one way you've have been acting normally, and that's the arrogance thing. If you think I'm going to ask again, you've got another think come--"

My words were swallowed up as Gippal grabbed me by both arms, bent his head with the most delicious smile I've ever seen and covered my lips with his own.

It was heaven. Finally, there was no guilt, there was no second guessing, there was just Gippal and I _finally_ able to open ourselves up, to accept what we really had known all along. I had at last come to the edge of that cliff as I stood there on the bridge with Gippal, his arms wound around me and his tongue teasing it's way into my mouth. I was ready to spread my arms and fall forward into the long drop of the unknown, almost positive it would be as Tidus described, that Gippal would be waiting for me at the bottom--

A sudden memory flashed in my mind and I drew back from Gippal, or at least drew back as far as I could with his arms clamping around me the moment I moved.

"What?" he asked, a bit of the old Gippal shining through in the irritated squint of his eye and the way he leaned forward, clearly upset to be interrupted. But there was also a bit of the Gippal I was just starting to get to see in the worried tightening of his arms and the concern lacing his tone.

"Nothing," I replied. "Just wanted to ask what that was for."

"Because you asked me to, you idiot." Seeing it was nothing serious, old Gippal took over completely, pulling me back-- I offered little resistance-- and lowering his face to mine once more. "And I wanted to."

"Good," I said happily, then surrendered completely to the warm safety of his electrifying kisses. Closing my eyes, I took a leap. And Gippal was waiting, with open arms.

-----

-

Yes, there is one more chapter. I know. But you've stayed in this long. Hopefully you'll be up to one more.

I apologize if Rikku's greif seemed short lived, but I felt there was enough of her reaction over Ryhcis's death in the last chapter that there didn't need to be much more in the rest of the story. I really hope this ending is as good as everyone seemed to think the rest was.

And sorry for grammar/word/spelling mistakes. I was so excited to get this up, I didn't proof read it as much as I should.

Thanks to anyone who has stuck around this long, and anyone who is reading this for the first time.

Review please.


	15. Chapter 15

If you haven't read chapter 1 since 5-24-06 now might be a good time to do that, so this chapter has a little more meaning. Or not. You know. Whatever.

Chapter 15

So here we are. Me and Rikku. Or GippalandRikku as we seem to be getting a lot lately. It annoys the hell out of me, but I smirk every time I hear it because my name almost always comes first. I love to tease Rikku about it because I know _that_ annoys the hell out of _her_.

When did we become this happy little pair? I can't quite say for sure. I mean obviously there was that day on the bridge, some weeks after Ryhcis had been killed. I'd been holding off as best I could, fully enacting all my protective instincts and quelling all the ones that kept telling to just grab her and kiss her until she stopped protesting.

Something on that day changed, however. I guess I got tired of holding back, or maybe the time was just right. It turned out good, anyhow, since I did end up grabbing and kissing Rikku, and she certainly wasn't protesting. I still wonder where the girl learned it. She wouldn't answer my questions about the Lady Yuna's obnoxious boyfriend. I at least know there's nothing between them now, since he and Yuna are still sickening in love. Happy Couple one-oh-one, Rikku had called them. Thank Spira we're not like that.

Now that Rikku and I aren't happy. We are, but it's not your traditional fairy-tale kind of happy. It's more like your shouting-matches-that-lead-to-pouting-that-lead-to-taunting-that-leads-to-making-out kind of happy. And yes, the pouting is on both sides. But I only do it because she does.

We're still discovering each other, too. That sounds awfully sexual, but I don't mean it in that way. Entirely. What I mean is neither of us have quite forgotten about Ryhcis, and while we've had our obstacles to overcome, just like Yuna and Tidus had, they haven't quite been the fire-and-brimstone sort of thing that makes us treasure every moment. In every given day I discover about six more reasons why it would be beneficial to all humanity to smother Rikku with a pillow, and about six more reasons why I can't live without her. Usually, those reasons tend to be synonymous. See why we're still figuring this thing out?

The whole Meyn-Ryhcis ordeal still plays in at times as well, which I guess is only to be expected. I'm actually amazed at how well Rikku was able to recover from the whole thing, in a fairly short amount of time too. I sometimes feel guilty, like I rushed her into _us_ before she had time to get over him, but she says it's because of _us_ that she's doing so well.

She still gets upset sometimes though, and she had nightmares for a long while, though those have gotten a lot better since she's had me to keep her company. I know what you're thinking-- what a scoundrel I am to take advantage of such a sweet innocent little girl like her, but you've got it wrong. First, about ninety-percent of the sweet and innocent thing is a total act. Rikku is like a kitten-- all little and fluffy, but totally willing to claw your eyes out, then sit back and lick their delicate claws with an oh-so-innocent expression while you writhe about in pain. Second, the first time she came to my room in the middle of the night, in pajamas and tears, I actually did _not_ take advantage of her, as much as I may have wanted to.

The first time she came, it was a week or two after that day on the bridge and around midnight. I, having gone to bed early after a long day of standing in for several sick mechanics, was asleep, but I groggily awoke to the sound of someone tapping on my door.

While I had declined a larger office, I had upgraded my room when the Faction really began to take off. Actually anyone who stayed with the Faction for more than two years and planned to stay more than a year longer had the option to move to a larger room. None of them were extravagant, mine included, but they did have more room for things like queen-sized beds. I tend to roll about a lot in mine when I'm sleeping on my own, and thus I always get really tangled up in my covers, which is why it took me a while to answer the door after a nearly equal time spent trying to figure out what the tapping sound was.

When I finally did make it to the door to throw it open with half-worry, half-anger, I discovered Rikku standing on the other side, looking helpless and scared and beautiful.

"Rikku," I said, a mixed sigh of relief and consternation. "What's wrong?"

"Gippal," she said, a little wonderingly as though she wasn't quite aware of where she was or how she'd gotten there. "I. . . I couldn't sleep. I kept seeing him, his face--"

"Ryhcis?" I asked, suppressing the feeling of resentment that rose in me. I didn't really feel like that anymore towards the poor guy; it was mostly habit that caused the slight twinge in my stomach at the mention of his name, though I knew a small, petty part of me would always be a little jealous of and a little angry at what he shared with Rikku, and how much his death affected her.

"No," Rikku replied, twisting her hands in front of her. Her eyes flicked back and forth and she bit her lip, as though afraid the shadows of the hallway were about to attack. "Not Ryhcis." Her lip trembled, and I saw that she'd been crying. "M-meyn. I keep seeing Meyn. And he's talking to me. . . He's _laughing_. . ."

She fell forward into my arms and I caught her deftly, wrapping myself around her like a blanket, trying both to warm and comfort her. She was shivering, and clung to me like a drowning woman to a life preserver, mumbling incomprehensibly into my chest. I rubbed her back, making shh-ing noises, and slowly backed my way into my room. While everyone in the temple was aware that Rikku and I were a pair, I preferred not to alert them all to the fact that she-- their leader's daughter who at yet knew very little about our relationship-- was paying late night visits to my room.

Once I got Rikku's trembling body into the room I sat her on the bed, then untangled myself long enough to shut the door. The little whimper she made when we separated was enough to have me beside her and her gathered tightly back into my arms in an instant.

"It's okay, sweetheart," I murmured, pushing back her alluringly tousled hair to meet her eyes with mine. "It was just a dream."

"I know," Rikku sighed, then slumped forward and buried her face in my neck. "But it gets hard sometimes. I can't stand the thought of that. . . that _pycdynt _alive and well while Ryhcis is. . . because of _him_. . ."

"It's okay." I had kind of lost track of what I was saying as I ran my hands over her long back and her warm mouth moved against my skin. I began to regret bringing her into my room. "It's okay."

She lifted her head and met my gaze. Our faces were impossibly close. "Sometimes," she whispered. "I feel like I'll never be able to forget what he did."

"You don't have to forget," I whispered back. One of my hands had somehow become tangled in her hair. "You just have to overcome it."

She blinked at me once, her wet eyelashes sticking to her cheeks, her lips parted and moist, her eyes wide and green and bottomless. . .

Our lips slammed together. Rikku's hands came up to my neck, gripping my face in a rather uncharacteristically rough manner that I found equally startling and enticing. She leaned into me, pressing her small body tightly against mine. I started to lean back, the grinding of her body, the harsh stabbing of her tongue and the fierce roving of her hands all setting off warning signs in my head. She leaned with me and I ended half-sitting half-laying against the headboard, Rikku practically climbing into my lap.

_Tell her to stop_, my mind shrieked. _She doesn't really want this. . . she's just upset. . . tell her to stop. Tell her. . ._ Rikku slid her hands under my shirt, and for a moment my body took over and shut out my mind. My hands somehow found their way under _her_ shirt, gliding over her back, then smoothing over her taut stomach that bucked and rolled under my caress--

"Rikku." I tore my lips from hers, clamping my hands firmly on her upper arms and forcing her off my body. She whimpered slightly, sitting there breathless on my bed, shirt rumpled and hair mussed, looking goddamn _gorgeous_. I nearly lost my resolve and starting kissing her all over again. Instead, with a supreme effort of will, I simply took her hand.

"I can't, Rikku," I said solemnly. "Not when you're like this."

"I'm not like anything!" Her voice changed to a near-whine and she leaned closer again. "It's not like I'm drunk. I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing--" She leaned in, lips parting, but I held her back. I have no idea how, but I did.

"If you were drunk Cid's Girl, we would be way pass this point." Strained as my voice was, that drew a little laugh from her as I had hoped it would. Slowly, I released my hold on her arms, a little afraid of what I'd do if her warm skin continued to be under my hands. "But I can't do this to you when you're sober," I continued as soon as I was sure neither of us were going to try anything again, at least then. "Because you _do_ know what you're doing. You're trying to forget something huge and shocking by doing something that feels even huger. You don't really want this, Rikku. You know you don't."

Rikku looked down at her lap, her cheeks coloring. "Gippal," she murmured. "When you put it like that. . ." In a sudden gesture so reminiscent of a young girl that it made it much easier for me to temporarily forget my desire, Rikku covered her face with her hands. "Spira," she moaned into them, a moan that was upset rather than erotic. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't worry about it." I made my voice casual and boisterous, as though we were talking about some mistake she'd made in building her machina or something else equally mundane. "I understand, Cid's Girl. I won't tell."

"You'd better not!" For a second she joined the lighthearted facade, hitting me on the arm with a mock-glare. Then her face turned serious, and she looked down at her lap. "What do we do now?" she asked in a small voice.

It took me about a second to come up with a response.

"We go to sleep," I said, and twisted around to pull back my covers, working my way under them, then holding them open for her. She gave me a wary look, which I found quite almost humorously ironic. "No tricks, I promise." I said with my best smile. "I just don't want you walking back to your room all alone in that cold, dark hallway, and there's no way in hell I'm leaving here and going with you."

Rikku continued to survey me for a long moment. I could clearly see the indecision raging in her mind; stay and fully admit her mistake, or leave and save what face she could and confront the mortification another time. In the end, she decided to stay. We curled up snugly under the covers and slept comfortably through the night, though it took me sometime to actually fall asleep and Rikku does tend to squirm and I tend to sprawl. But they meshed well together-- the squirming and the sprawling. Two opposing forces that fight for supremacy but end up with a compromise that is even better. Just like me and Rikku.

There were a few more nights after that initial one where she came to my room, seeking solace from whatever nightmare plagued her or just from the crushing loneliness of the thought-swirled night. I'd let her in, listen to her talk for a bit if she wanted to talk, then tuck her neatly into bed with me, and we'd sleep. By some sort of unspoken agreement, we hardly ever even kissed during these nighttime visits, though, despite my noble words, it often became quite difficult for me to just lay there with her warm, languid body cradled in my arms. I took quite a few cold showers then, let me tell you.

Then came the night-- oh, Spira that night. I heard the knocking and opened the door, expecting to find Rikku standing there looking young and anxious like usual. Instead, she wore an unreadable expression that was anything but childish, and curiously enough was not dressed in her pajamas. She wore a pink tank top and jeans, her long golden hair clipped back, and before I could even get a word out she stretched out a slim white arm, curled her hand around my neck and pulled me down into a deep, soul-wrenching kiss.

"Rikku," I said as soon as she pulled away and I was able to breath again. "What--"

"I've been thinking about you," she said softly, moving gracefully into my room then taking both my hands, managing to seem like a little girl appealing to her father and a young woman about to seduce her boyfriend. Without much of a fight, I might add. "These nights that I've been spending here, with you. . . I've wanted so much--" She reached forward again, drawing me into another mind-blowing kiss. "Now I want more," she whispered in my ear.

"Rikku," I said, pushing her away while I was still able. "Are you sure you. ."

"I'm not drunk," she said, and I couldn't help but laugh. I put my arms around her, our bodies modeling together with comfortable familiarity that still held a bit of electric strangeness that night. I looked into her eyes, those beautiful eyes that I had seen so many emotions in through the years. This time I was looking for one particular emotion, one feeling, and after a long moment, I found it.

"That's too bad," I murmured, leaning in close to trail my lips along her jaw line. "I bet you'd make a cute drunk."

Rikku made a mock noise of outrage, elbowed me in the ribs, then wound her arms tightly around me. I scooped her up in my arms and carried her over to the bed, laying her down as gently as though she were a porcelain doll, though I perhaps more than anyone am aware of how strong she is.

I lowered myself next to her, kissing over her collar bones, her shoulders, her neck. Before I got to her mouth, I paused, holding myself back for the final time.

"Are you sure?" I asked. Rikku simply smiled, then tilted her head up so that our lips met. And that time, at last, there was no need to tell her to stop.

Like I said, however, she still has bad dreams sometimes, but as she almost all her nights in my room now they're becoming less and less of a problem.

Cid was here the other day. I arranged it so that he and I were only together when there were lots of other people around, but don't think that means I escaped a good, long lecture. And by lecture I mean shouting, swearing and nearly relieving me of my remaining good eye. And all he knows is that we're together; he has no clue how much I love her.

Yeah, you heard that right. Love. It's supposedly this huge thing, and I'll admit I've never felt like this for anything other girl, but it doesn't seem like some sort of giant epiphany to say it now. There was no light bulb moment, no hallelujah chorus, no illuminating realization. The knowledge that I was in love with Rikku, that I loved her more than anyone, came gradually, far more gradually than it should have due to Ryhcis and Meyn and my own stupidity. But it did come, and it isn't going away anytime soon.

Does she love me? I'd like to think so. I sometimes wish things could have been simpler for us, but I don't know if it would have all turned out so well if they had.

Turned out well. . . huh, I sound like it's over. Like we've reached the end of the road and built ourselves a little cabin of predictability with a routinely happy white picket fence and there's no where left to go. Well there are plenty of places to go, and I'm hoping Rikku and I can start visiting some of them soon. She's just entered the cafeteria now, stopping to talk to Shinra who returned a while ago, throwing a snarky comment to Brother, then searching for me. Her eyes meet mine, and, as always, it feels like I've received an electric shock.

Spira, do I love her. She's making her way over here now, long hair brushing those slim, tantalizingly swaying hips. I stand up before she's even half way to me, just so I can put my hands on those hips without delay when she finishes sashaying her way over. Saucy minx. She knows most the room is watching as she wraps her arms around my neck, standing on tiptoe to giggle impishly in my ear as I kiss the sweet-smelling skin just below her hairline.

I pull her down onto my lap, saying some smart-ass comment about her not letting me finish my dinner when I really I just don't want to let go of her. Ever. She squeals and squirms in my lap, making me growl as I have to reach around her to get to my food. The friction of her body against mine is also creating some problems, which is probably part of her intent. As I said, saucy little minx. She'll be punished for this later. For now I clamp my arms firmly around her waist and lean close to her ear, murmuring a deep, threatening warning that only makes her giggle again.

Eventually she settles, and I'm able to shift her into a more comfortable position. The atmosphere in the cafeteria has become quiet and calm as the day winds down around us. I've finished eating; Rikku leans her head on my shoulder and I put my arms around her. I can't imagine feeling more content.

"Look," Rikku says, and points to one of the few cafeteria windows. "The stars are coming out. It must be getting late."

I look as she commands, but nothing can steal my gaze long when she's so close to me. I look back to find her watching me with a soft smile playing on her face.

"What?" I say.

"Nothing," she murmurs, tucking her head into the hollow between my neck and shoulder that seems made to fit her. One of her hands traces idly up my arm. "I'm just really happy."

"Yeah?" My fingers glide down her hair, play over her back. The room is full of low murmurings and gentle sighs, evening sounds that flow together into a soothing river of serene happiness. The moment is long and shimmery and goddamn near perfect. "Me too."

I feel Rikku's lips curve into a smile. I know she can feel my answering smile against the smooth skin of her forehead. We both feel the love that flows between us, bright and indestructible and wonderfully flawed as the stars that glitter in the endless sky.

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It's over! It's finally finished!!! Woo! I'm so proud, though I'm a little sad.

I love you all. Anyone who has gotten this far, read this whole thing. Thank you so much. A wonderful labor of love that I'm so happy with. Thanks to you all. Review? For the final time?

YAY!!!!!


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